(First InMaricopa) Law enforcement agencies in charge of a crash that shut down State Route 347 early this morning are refusing to answer crucial questions. Asked point blank, the lead agency said without reason that whether someone died in the crash would remain confidential indefinitely. 

However, more than a dozen people told InMaricopa the crash was fatal. A triangulation of coroner and other public records seems to show it was a 39-year-old Sacaton woman who died in the crash this morning. This detail was corroborated by a person with direct knowledge of the family. 

A wild goose chase spanning five local and state agencies since 3 a.m. only made it clear that custodians of public information were unwilling to tell the public what happened on State Route 347 just south of Casa Blanca.  

The Arizona Department of Transportation spokesperson told reporters: “For crash information, please reach out to DPS.” Then, the Department of Public Safety spokesperson told us: “Please contact Gila River PD as they are the investigating agency.” 

After 10 hours calling and texting GRPD’s public information officer, an answer came from a receptionist at the department’s non-emergency line. 

“Our agency will not be able to comment on that incident that happened this morning,” the GRPD employee said. “Our public information officer is out of the office, but she did relay to me that she’s not going to comment.” 

That PIO, Teaya Enos, has previously confirmed fatal crashes on SR 347 to InMaricopa. ADOT and AZDPS declined separate requests for comment in light of the refusal.  

“We never step in on another agency’s investigation,” said AZDPS spokesperson Bart Graves. “You would need to get the information from them.” 

An investigations supervisor at the Pinal County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that agency did not handle a fatal crash on SR 347 this morning. 

The Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner, however, logged the 39-year-old Sacaton woman as having been the first person to die in that county today, which tracks with the 1:46 a.m. crash. If a decedent was transported by ambulance, the case will certainly move to Maricopa County, as was the case with the teenager who was shot and killed in city limits in November. 

InMaricopa has contacted the Maricopa County coroner asking if the agency took in a decedent from a fatal crash on SR 347. “Since this is an open case, I don’t have any information that’s releasable at this time,” said Jason Berry, a deputy director of communications, just after 2 p.m. 

InMaricopa will continue to withhold the name of the 39-year-old woman whose death was processed in Maricopa County this morning until we receive further confirmation from official sources.