STUART, Va. — Authorities in Virginia are trying to determine the circumstances surrounding the death of a Patrick County woman whose body was found more than a week after she was reported missing.

Delene Curry, 49, of Stuart, was discovered dead late Friday in her car that was down a steep embankment along Route 103 south of Stuart, according to Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith.

It appeared that the vehicle had crashed into a tree before coming to rest underneath a thick canopy of brush several feet off the roadway, which kept it hidden from view, the sheriff added. There were no skid marks on the pavement or any other indication that a crash had occurred, thus making the site difficult to find, authorities said.

Curry had been reported missing by her family on Feb. 27, amid disclosures that she appeared disoriented when buying gasoline at a convenience store not far from where her vehicle later was found wrecked. The woman also had lost her job at a Stuart call center, based on previous published reports, which fueled concerns about her possible state of mind.

A thorough search of the area in the days after her disappearance had turned up no signs of Curry.

An anonymous call from an alert citizen led deputies to the area where her body was found, with authorities indicating that foul play was not involved.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family,” Smith said. “We wish this could have ended some other way.” He added that at this time, it is not known when the crash occurred.

The Virginia State Police is investigating the accident, and an autopsy was ordered at the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Roanoke to pinpoint the cause of death.

Curry was the second Patrick County woman to be reported missing in recent months.

Letisha “Tish” Faust, 50, of Stuart, disappeared in early December, after last having been seen at a pharmacy in neighboring Floyd County. Although Faust’s 1994 Honda Accord later was found at an unoccupied residence, the woman remains missing.

The two cases are not related, authorities have said.