Missing Hill City woman is found

By Kacie Svoboda

Krull

Kristin Mercy, who is also known by the last name Krull, was reported missing April 22 when she failed to return home, according to Deadwood Police Det. Alex Hamann. The search came to a tragic end when her body was found Monday night by a man walking on Williams Street in Deadwood. Police responded to the area near the intersection of Williams Street and Volin Street at approximately 7:54 p.m. and found Krull in a grassy area near the base of a retaining wall below Williams Street.

Krull was 32 years old and the daughter of Hill City residents Dennis and Kim Krull, who established Krull’s Market on the north end of town. Krull lived in Rapid City and was the mother of three children — Eli, Olivia and Noah.

Krull was last seen on Main Street in Deadwood on Tuesday, April 21, at 2 a.m. when she was released from the Lawrence County Jail on a misdemeanor charge. The police attempted to ping Krull’s cell phone to help locate her but it had been off since 6:45 a.m. on April 21. According to Hamann, Krull’s phone was last pinged on the Mickelson Trail in the area of Deadwood Gulch Resort and Thunder Cove. Foul play was not suspected in her disappearance.

At the end of last week, Krull was officially considered a missing person. The cause of her death is undetermined at this time as investigators await the results of an autopsy. The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, Lawrence County Coroner and Deadwood Volunteer Fire Department assisted in the investigation.