MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — A 39-year-old woman found dead in the middle of North Verity Parkway on Thursday night died of multiple traumatic injuries after a hit-and-run crash, according to the Butler County Coroner’s Office.
According to the Journal-News, Kelly A. McKinney’s death was ruled an accident by the coroner’s office. Middletown police are continuing to investigate the crash and are seeking to identify the driver who hit McKinney. She was found dead around 10:30 p.m. near Access 3 Road, according to Shelby Quinlivan, Middletown’s spokeswoman.
Middletown police received a call about McKinney before she was struck about someone who was lying in the street, Quinlivan said.
At about 10:07 p.m., a call was received about a woman on the ground near the roadway. Officers found McKinney asleep in a grassy area on Verity across from the Riverfront Motel.
McKinney was lying on her side next to to backpack and when officers officers called out to her, she woke up, according to the police report.
Officers asked her several questions to determine her clarity and state of mind, including a few about the Cincinnati Bengals since she was wearing a team ball cap. McKinney said she was not intoxicated or under the influence of drugs and laughed saying she “wished she was.”
McKinney told officers she was walking from New Miami to Franklin but stopped to sleep for the night. She also told officers she did have a friend she could stay with and did not need their assistance.
About 20 minutes later, a male 911 caller told dispatchers after seeing the woman dead that he didn’t realize it was a person at first.
“She was already knocked out in the road, and I just kind of drove past it and realized it was a human being and pulled over and called,” the man said.
Quinlivan and Middletown Police Chief David Birk said detectives are asking anyone with information to call Sgt. Earl Nelson at 513-425-7754.
