Police: Vehicle in Foley crash that killed mom of three was stolen

The man who was involved in a head-on crash that killed a mother of three children Tuesday night in Foley was driving a stolen vehicle at the time of the wreck, police said.

Kevin Couch, 29, of Milaca, was behind the wheel of a stolen GMC Yukon that crossed the centerline of Hwy. 23 at 11th Avenue about 6 p.m., striking a Chevrolet Tahoe driven by Lindsay Cardinal. She died at the scene, the State Patrol said.

Her three children were also in the vehicle. Evelyn, 1, and Wyatt, 4, suffered broken pelvises and remain hospitalized. A third child, Lillian, 5, was not hurt.

Police in the northern Minnesota town of Grand Rapids say the Yukon was stolen around 4 p.m. Monday, but they have not been able to determine whether Couch is the person who drove it away from Frontier Liquors. The vehicle's owner had left it running while he went into the store on the 600 block of NE. 3rd Street. When he came out a few minutes later, the Yukon was gone, said Assistant Chief Steve Schaar.

Surveillance video showed the Yukon and a "suspicious" gold-colored sedan right behind leaving the parking lot. Police are trying to identify the owner of that car, believing it may be connected to the theft of the Yukon, Schaar said.

Police entered the Yukon's license plate into a state registry of stolen vehicles. Then on Tuesday, Schaar said his department got a call from the State Patrol saying "that our stolen vehicle was involved in the accident."

In addition to driving a stolen vehicle, Couch was drunk, under the influence of drugs, or both at the time of the crash, a Minnesota State Patrol report said. His driver's license had been previously revoked, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said.

Couch was taken to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale with serious injuries, the patrol said. A passenger in his vehicle, Nicole Schmidt, 24, of Milaca, was taken to North Memorial with life-threatening injuries, the patrol said.

Cardinal, 35, was a stay-at-home mom, described by many as radiant and selfless. She was a board member for Women in Need of Kindness, a Little Falls nonprofit that provides emotional and financial support to those fighting cancer. Cardinal grew up in Stillwater and graduated from Stillwater Area High School in 2000. She attended St. Cloud State University where she played rugby, another passion of hers, family members said.

A Go Fund Me account to help the family with medical and funeral expenses had raised about $70,000 as of Friday evening.

Couch's record shows convictions for burglary, fleeing a police officer, drug possession, assault, domestic assault, domestic abuse, violating a no-contact order and two driving-while-intoxicated charges, according to court records.

Anybody with information about the stolen Yukon or the sedan seen in Grand Rapids can call police at 1-218-326-3464.

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768