Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Tricia McCauley dead: Actress' body found in car after disappearing on Christmas day

McCauley had been expected to attend Christmas dinner at the home of a friend 

Maya Oppenheim
Tuesday 27 December 2016 17:32 GMT
McCauley, a 46-year-old yoga teacher who was a stand-in for the dance film Step Up, was found in her Toyota Scion car
McCauley, a 46-year-old yoga teacher who was a stand-in for the dance film Step Up, was found in her Toyota Scion car (Facebook / Tricia Mccauley)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

An actor who did not show up to Christmas dinner has been found dead in her car in Washington DC.

Tricia McCauley, a 46-year-old yoga teacher who was a stand-in for the dance film Step Up, was found in her Toyota Scion car in the early hours of Tuesday morning, according to Washington DC police.

McCauley’s family announced her death on Facebook early on Tuesday morning and Interim DC Police Chief Peter Newsham later confirmed it at a news conference.

“Tricia is gone, they found her body,” her brother Brian McCauley wrote on Facebook. “No more details from the police at the moment, just that they found her body.”

McCauley had been expected to attend Christmas dinner at her friend's house who she contacted around 4.30 pm on Sunday. However, she did not show up and stopped replying to phone calls and texts.

The actress also missed a flight out of Ronald Reagan National Airport on Monday morning. This sparked a search across the city of Washington.

“The investigation is progressing rapidly,” Newsham said at a Tuesday morning press conference.

He said the suspect was in custody. He also said police do not believe that the suspect knew Ms McCauley.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in