Complaint: Man charged in Lee County body case says woman jumped out of car

Kim Norvell | The Des Moines Register

A 28-year-old man has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death in the case of a body found in Lee County early Sunday.

Damian Hamann, of Morning Sun, Iowa, turned himself into the Lee County Sheriff's Office after the body of his girlfriend, 20-year-old Sadie Alvarado, was found Sunday. Hamann told police Alvarado jumped out of his car while they were arguing, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Lee County attorney.

He told police he drove home to Morning Sun — about 35 miles north — but went back to Lee County after noon to look for her, the complaint says.

Her body was found in a ditch on a gravel road on 235th Avenue, south of West Point, Iowa, by a passer-by around 10:42 a.m. Alvarado was from Muscatine, Iowa.

An autopsy of Alvarado's body is scheduled for Tuesday to determine the manner and cause of death, said Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Rick Rahn.

He would not comment on how she may have died.

"We're not ready to release that information," Rahn said.

Complete coverage of the search for Mollie Tibbetts: DesMoinesRegister.com/MollieTibbetts

Hamann turned himself in late Sunday because "he was aware that there were pending charges" against him, Rahn said. He has not yet appeared before a judge for an initial arraignment. An attorney for Hamann has not been identified.

The case is still under investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Lee County Sheriff's Office.