BATTLE GROUND, WA (KPTV) -
BATTLE GROUND, WA (KPTV) -
Battle Ground police have positively identified 22-year-old Tatyana Tupikova as the woman found in a ditch along the east side of SR-503 near Main Street in the Battle Ground area.
Tupikova had been missing since the night of Wednesday May 9th, when she told her family she was meeting friends for frozen yogurt, but never showed up.
Police say she was not officially reported missing until Thursday.
Police say a passerby discovered Tupikova's body in a ditch, not far from the sidewalk, shortly after 3 o'clock Friday afternoon and called Clark County Fire & Rescue.
Battleground police and the Clark County Major Crimes team responded and spent about five hours investigating.
Detectives consider the incident a hit-and-run and are actively searching for the driver.
"It's really sad," said Lyuba Bilyk who lives nearby the scene. "It's really stressful and shocking."
"It's kinda creepy because we walk down that road every day," said Sveta Bilyk.
Pictures from FOX 12's helicopter showed police taping off an area just off the highway. The right lane of SR-503 northbound was closed during the investigation but reopened around 8:30 PM.
Anyone who thinks they may have information is encouraged to call the Battle Ground Police Department.
Copyright 2012 KPTV (Meredith Corporation.) All rights reserved.