A Colorado man stands accused of deliberately driving his pickup truck off a mountainous Wyoming roadway with his wife inside, causing her death after conducting online searches for nearby cliffs and life insurance details prior to the incident, according to authorities.
Forrest Jay Wood, 46, faces a murder charge following an investigation that determined his wife, Virginia Lynne Wood, 44, survived the June 3 collision but succumbed to her injuries without receiving timely medical attention, according to Cowboy State Daily.
An arrest affidavit obtained by the local outlet details that Wood drove a Chevrolet Silverado that veered off French Creek Road near Saratoga, accelerating to 57 mph roughly 1.5 seconds before impact without engaging the brakes.
The accelerator allegedly reached 99 percent throttle and remained engaged until one second before the vehicle departed the roadway.
Investigators documented at least five significant ground impacts as the vehicle descended, including a collision with a large boulder. Wood told officers he could not explain why or how the truck accelerated.
“I don’t know, we were happy. I don’t know. I really don’t know. I’m sorry. I wish I knew,” Wood allegedly responded when officers questioned him about the incident.
A search of Wood’s cellphone revealed pre-crash queries for “cliffs near me,” “scenic overlook near me” and “am i going to die soon,” according to the affidavit.
Additional searches allegedly included “what type of life insurance do I have through work” and “do term life insurances have suicide clauses,” alongside inquiries about vehicles that had previously gone off cliffs in the region.
Virginia Wood survived the initial impact but died beneath a shrub approximately 50 yards downhill from the wreckage. Forrest Wood was located alive further down the slope.
Two days passed before individuals discovered the crash site and contacted 911. Investigators found no skid marks or tire impressions indicating that Wood attempted to halt the vehicle.
An autopsy revealed Virginia Wood sustained multiple fractured ribs and extensive chest trauma. A forensic pathologist determined she likely perished from blunt-force injuries sustained in the collision, prompting the Carbon County coroner to classify her death as a homicide.
The autopsy further indicated that her injuries would not have caused immediate death. “[Virginia Wood] would have survived the initial crash but would have needed immediate medical care to survive,” the affidavit states.
“It is likely that decedent was carried to the area where her body was found,” according to investigators.
Wood initially claimed two other men had occupied the vehicle with them, then revised his account to state only one had been present. He identified the individual as being “over there in his house” while gesturing westward, according to the affidavit. Wood also allegedly denied being married to Virginia Wood.
Officers at the scene “determined that defendant [Forrest Wood] was either not being honest or was very disoriented” and suspended their interrogation.
Law enforcement in Fort Collins, Colorado, arrested Wood on Tuesday. He faces a first-degree murder charge and awaits extradition to Carbon County, Wyoming, to stand trial.
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