Authorities are still searching for breaks in two unusual cases that the public was asked to help with this past weekend.

The State Patrol is trying to solve the hit-and-run death of a Maple Grove woman who was reported to be on her hands and knees on Interstate 35E in St. Paul before she was struck by a passing car Friday night.

St. Paul police responded to the scene around 9:40 p.m. just south of the Grand Avenue overpass. When they arrived, they discovered the body of Emily E. Boone, 28, on the southbound shoulder. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

"We're still looking for help from the public," Lt. Tiffani Nielson, State Patrol spokeswoman, said Monday. "We're progressing slowly."

Police are asking that anyone who was in that area at that time of the incident come forward if they have information that might clarify what happened. The car that hit Boone may have damage to the driver's side and undercarriage, and the driver might not have known that a person had been struck. Boone's family wasn't immediately available for comment Monday.

In Boone's obituary, her family said she was a 2005 graduate of Totino Grace High School and attended both Marquette University and the University of St. Thomas.

"Emily was a lover of animals, good friends and fairness in the world. She lived each day seeking the brightness in humans and finding her way to peace and happiness," the obituary said.

Boone's visitation is planned for Tuesday and burial planned for Wednesday.

In another mystery, Roseville police say they haven't received any leads in the violent beating of a 28-year-old man who was found last month lying in a ditch in a park for more than a day.

Ismail Jama, of Roseville, was discoveredsemi-conscious the morning of Dec. 24 in a drainage-pond ditch at Autumn Grove Park, just west of Lake Josephine. Police say evidence suggests that Jama drove to the park on Dec. 22 between 5 and 10:50 p.m.

"The department's investigators will continue to investigate this case. but at this time, investigators are in a holding pattern until more information is received on this case," Lt. Lorne Rosand, Roseville police spokesman, said Monday in a release.

Anyone with information about the assault is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Minnesota at 1-800-222-8477. In the St. Paul hit-and-run, tipsters are encouraged to call 651-582-1500.