Franklin woman dies in I-55 dust storm pileup in Illinois

NOW: Franklin woman dies in I-55 dust storm pileup in Illinois
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ILLINOIS (CBS 58) -- A blinding dust storm led to six deaths and dozens of injuries along Interstate 55 in south central Illinois Monday morning. Shirley Harper, 88, from Franklin, Wisconsin was the first fatality identified. Illinois State Police are asking the public for help to identify other victims.

Son-in-law of Harper, Tim Shaffer, said Harper and her daughter were on the road when tragedy struck. He shared how the 88-year-old will be remembered.

"She would talk to anybody, do anything for anybody. People like her, we need more of them in the world," said Shaffer.

Illinois State Police said the ages of the victims range from two to 88 years old. They said over 70 vehicles were believed to be involved in the crash. Three more victims have been tentatively identified.

Police said they need help identifying the two other victims. One was found inside a blue Chrysler 300 and another was found in an unknown-colored Hyundai.

Illinois State Police spokesperson Brendan Kelly is asking for the public's help and to call 618-346-3653.

"We're needing information from the public or from potentially family members or from witnesses or from anybody who may know anything about the identities of these two individuals," said Kelly.

He said police can't jump to conclusions on what exactly led up to the crash but he did mention a period of dryness in Illinois that could've contributed to the storm.

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