HOWARD COUNTY, Ind. — A 20-year-old Kokomo woman was killed in a single-vehicle crash early Sunday morning, Oct. 11, on County Road 1350 East, north of County Road 500 North.
At approximately 12:29 a.m., Howard County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a crash involving injuries. Upon arrival, deputies found a black Honda Civic in a field beside the roadway.
Hope Justice Jones, who was reportedly seated in the rear passenger seat, was ejected from the vehicle. Emergency medical personnel provided aid, and a medical helicopter was requested. Jones was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver, 21-year-old Morgan Killebrew, told deputies he was traveling south on County Road 1350 East when an animal entered the roadway. He reported losing control after the vehicle’s passenger-side tires left the pavement.
Preliminary crash reconstruction findings indicate the Honda left the west side of the roadway, traveled through a grassy ditch and began sliding before striking a utility pole near the right rear passenger side. The vehicle then rotated, striking a telephone utility box and the ground before coming to rest in a field.
Killebrew cooperated with deputies and consented to chemical testing. A preliminary breath test registered 0.00. He was transported to St. Vincent Hospital, where a blood sample was collected for further testing.
Sgt. Christopher Cramer conducted the crash reconstruction. The investigation included documenting roadway evidence, photographing the scene and using an unmanned aircraft to capture aerial images for scene mapping.
The Howard County Coroner’s Office positively identified Jones and notified her family. The cause and manner of death remain under investigation.
The Howard County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Greentown Fire Department, Converse Fire Department, Community Howard Medics and Lutheran Air Helicopter Medics.