70-year-old River Hills woman run over by her own vehicle

RIVER HILLS (WITI) -- A 70-year-old River Hills woman was crushed to death by her vehicle Thursday night, December 11th.

Authorities were called to a home in the 8300 block of N. Range Line Road around 7 p.m.

Upon arrival, authorities discovered a 70-year-old woman dead in her driveway. Police say the victim, 70-year-old Kap Bae, was found by her husband, who called 911.

The incident is considered so unusual that River Hills police called in the help of the Department of Justice, State Patrol, and others to make sure the suspicious death was more than an accident.

Passerby's noticed the huge investigative effort.

"I saw more than a dozen cops. It went from one police officer to a good dozen if not more. They had people looking all over this area. I don't know what they were looking for," said Chris Termuhlen, from Bayside.

"All indications are that the victim suffered a tragic accident which involved her vehicle," said River Hills Police Sergeant, Milton Mrozak.

In the wooded acreage of River Hills homes, Dr. IK Bae and his wife Kap were known as well-respected, brilliant people. Kap Bae is described by a neighbor as a devoted mother to three grown children, and a loving grandmother.

The couple loved to work outside on their grounds and had their family gather in River Hills over the summer.

They will be gathering again on Friday evening for mourning.

"The family are long time residents of the village since at least when I started in 1989," said Mrozak.

River Hills police along with Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin State Crime Lab and Department of Criminal Investigation were called to the scene to help investigate.The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office was also called to the scene and conducted an autopsy Friday morning.

"We put a significant effort into determining if the cause was accidental or some other means. That's why we enlisted the aid of state agencies," said Mrozak.

The state crime will try to determine if it was a malfunction, or slipped gear, or what happened to make the SUV run over Mrs. Bae.

River Hills police say it is such an unusual circumstance, they went the extra mile to make sure there was nothing sinister involved -- including getting a search warrant for the home.

At this time, the investigation indicates that the death was accidental. The exact circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation.



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