WHITEFORD TWP, Mich. (FOX 2) - A driver is in custody after a Monroe County crash killed a pregnant woman and her unborn baby.
What they're saying:
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office responded to a reported crash on Saturday, May 17 at 10 p.m.
Investigators say a red Ford Escape was traveling northbound on US-23 in the right lane when it was sideswiped by a white Chrysler 300.
According to witnesses, the Chrysler was speeding and passing vehicles on the right shoulder. The Chrysler merged into the right lane while attempting to pass the Ford Escape, striking it and causing it to run off the roadway.
The Ford rolled several times over an embankment before coming to a rest on its right side. The driver, 32-year-old Kaitlyn Ellison of Petersburg, Mich., was trapped and had to be extricated from the car by the Whiteford Township Fire Department.
Ellison was transported to Toledo Hospital where she was pronounced deceased. Officials say she was 7 months pregnant, and the unborn child was also pronounced deceased.
Investigators say the Chrysler also lost control after impact and came to a rest in the left median. The driver fled from the crash on foot.
Monroe County Sheriff's Office K9 and Drone teams searched the area and found the driver at the Pilot Gas Station on US-223. The driver, a 24-year-old Ohio man, was arrested and lodged at the Monroe County Jail on two counts of Second Degree Homicide and two counts of OWI Causing Death.
His name is being withheld pending arraignment in the Monroe County 1st District Court. He is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Speed and alcohol are factors in the crash, according to the investigators.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office was assisted by the Whiteford Township Fire Department, Monroe Community Ambulance, and the Michigan State Police.
The investigation is ongoing.
What you can do:
Anyone with information is asked to call 734-240-7548. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak-Up or online at www.1800speakup.org.