BUCKHANNON – The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of the victim who died in a single-vehicle wreck discovered early Monday morning on Route 20 North near the Barbour County line.

Joanna Jean Hunt, 42, of French Creek, died as a result of injuries suffered in the wreck. Upshur County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Mike Coffman said officers believe that wreck occurred several hours earlier, possibly in the middle of the night.

“When we got the call, we thought it was a wreck that just happened, but it happened several hours before it was discovered, and it was discovered by a passerby,” Coffman said Wednesday.

The cause of the motor vehicle accident is still under investigation, and the body was sent to the West Virginia State Medical Examiner’s Office, where autopsy results are still pending.

According to a previous release issued by the sheriff’s office, deputies responded to a report of a single-vehicle wreck at about 7:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 15. Deputies believe the vehicle had been traveling north on Route 20 when it “left the roadway, struck a tree and came to a rest over an embankment,” the release said. The victim was discovered a short distance from the vehicle.

Drug and alcohol use is suspected, according to the press release.

The wreck remains under investigation, and anyone with information is asked to call Deputy Cole Bender at 304-472-1182.