Missouri 16yo was lying in the road when a deputy responding to the call hit her. Then investigators revealed what happened before he arrived

A Missouri community is reeling after 16-year-old Persephone Berger was struck and killed by a St. Francois County sheriff’s deputy early Saturday morning, Oct. 3. The tragedy has sparked grief and frustration as the victim’s family demands transparency over conflicting initial reports about how the fatal incident occurred.

According to People, the incident unfolded around 3:43 a.m. in the 5400 block of Davis Crossing Road, near Leadwood and west of Park Hills, Missouri. The St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department received an emergency call from a motorist who reported seeing an unresponsive person lying in the middle of the road. The caller remained at the scene with their vehicle’s hazard lights activated while waiting for emergency responders to arrive.

According to statements from St. Francois County Sheriff Jeffrey Crites, a responding deputy approached the dark stretch of road. While the deputy saw the bystander’s vehicle with its hazard lights flashing, he reportedly did not see the teenager lying in the roadway and struck her.

She was pronounced dead at the scene

The deputy stayed at the scene and contacted his supervisor. St. Francois County Coroner Jason Coplin arrived shortly after 4:00 a.m. and pronounced the teen dead at the scene.

Early autopsy findings released by investigators revealed that Berger suffered severe blunt trauma injuries. Crucially, the initial medical review found no evidence of physical trauma or injuries that predated the collision, indicating that her cause of death was consistent with being struck by the deputy’s vehicle. Authorities noted that toxicology results and a final autopsy report remain pending. It is also still unknown why Berger was lying unresponsive in the road before first responders arrived.

While the sheriff’s office has characterized the incident as a tragic accident, Berger’s family has expressed anger over the shifting narrative surrounding the investigation. According to Berger’s aunt, Kimberly Cabuchola, the sheriff’s department initially told the girl’s father on Saturday that his daughter had been the victim of a hit-and-run.

Believing a civilian driver had fled the scene, the family turned to social media to ask for public assistance and information. It wasn’t until Monday afternoon, three days after the fatal crash, that authorities confirmed to the family that one of their own deputies was responsible.

“My brother and my family could have forgiven that officer if he would have just called it in and said, ‘Hey, I hit this child,’ but he didn’t,” Cabuchola told KSDK News. “It was three days later when they finally admitted it was one of their deputies that ran over her and killed her.”

The family, which has since retained a legal team, also raised concerns that the crash site was cleared before external state investigators arrived. Seeking to address rumors in the community, Sheriff Crites clarified that the deputy involved is 23 years old and had been with the department for three months. He also has prior law enforcement experience and was not involved in a high-speed police pursuit at the time.

Meanwhile, a profound sense of loss has settled over the local community. On Monday evening, hundreds of grieving students, teachers, and neighbors gathered for an emotional candlelight vigil at West County High School, where Berger was a student.