Sheriff: Paynesville Woman, 39, Died In Meeker County Drowning

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Authorities have identified a woman who was found dead in a drainage ditch in a small township near Litchfield on Tuesday just hours after she was reported missing.

The Meeker County Sheriff's Office identified the woman Wednesday as 39-year-old Toni Cottrill of Paynesville. Authorities say her cause of death is a probable drowning.

Authorities responded at about 4:45 p.m. Tuesday to a report of a missing person on the 31600 block of 518th Avenue in Swede Grove Township. A search began for Cottrill and at about 8:10 p.m., her body was discovered in a drainage ditch about 1/3 of a mile west of the residence they responded to.

The Meeker County Sheriff's Office says that residence was not her own, and authorities are attempting to contact people she may have been with leading up to the incident. Anyone who was in contact with her Nov. 29-30 is asked to contact the Meeker County Sheriff's Office.

The case remains under investigation.