HPD releases surveillance video of woman entering police van prior to death

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - Huntsville police released surveillance video Friday afternoon of the woman who was found dead in a police transport van last week.

Christina Nance was found dead last Thursday in a van in the parking lot on Wheeler Avenue. Huntsville’s Public Safety Complex houses both HPD’s headquarters and Huntsville’s Municipal Court System.

The police transport van was originally used for transporting inmates so you can get in, but you can’t get out. On Oct. 7 an officer noticed shoes outside the van and discovered something was wrong.

The grainy video shows Nance climbing into the unlocked van, but her family is still questioning the events. Police say it is clear from the video, she was not harmed and crawled into the van without any assistance.

“It’s kind of distant video taken from the top of a building but it does show you the facts and circumstance that led up to her being by herself on the day she went into the van,” said Huntsville Police Chief Mark McMurray.

HPD says it will continue to communicate with Nance’s mother during this time to hear the facts and circumstances from the department.

“We’ve been working with the Nance family now for over a year with the needs of the family through our CIT program and our community resource officers. So we’re very close to this family and so we grieve with them, we share the loss of Ms. Nance at this time,” said Chief McMurray.

The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is a law enforcement training and response program designed for first responders who handle crisis calls involving people with a mental health condition.

WAFF 48 is told the video will be shared with the Nance family tomorrow and then the public during a press conference. HPD says it will also release the actual day Nance entered the van and a timeline of how long she was in there.

According to Madison County Coroner Dr. Tyler Berryhill, an autopsy was performed by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences on Oct. 12. Autopsy findings confirmed that no foul play was involved in the death nor any findings of trauma. A forensics exam report is expected to be released in about a month.

This is an ongoing investigation. 48 News will update you with more information as we receive it.

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