16-year-old Persephone Berger was killed when she was run over on Davis Crossing Road south of Leadwood in the early morning hours of October 3rd. Her family says the Sheriff's Department was not truthful about what happened that night.
Berger's aunt, Kimberly Cabuchola says the family was initially told by the Sheriff's Department it was a hit and run.
"My niece was involved in a hit and run," is what the family was initially told by the Department. However, after the family posted it was a hit and run, witnesses came forward giving a different story.
"I found out it was a St. Francois County [Sheriff's Deputy] that hit her."
Cabuchola says only after she posted on Facebook a Sheriff's Deputy hit Berger did the department admit it was not a hit and run and that Berger was killed by one of their own. Cabuchola says Lt. Matt Wampler claims they did not know it was them the night Berger was killed.
"Wampler told [Berger's father] 'because we didn't know." Cabuchola tells KMOX when they asked why they were not initially told it was a deputy on the night of her death.
This conflicts with the statement issued by St. Francois County Sheriff Jeff Crites. In a press release issued October 5th, Crites says deputies were responding to a call for service regarding an unresponsive subject lying in the roadway, later identified as Berger. He states the responding deputy did not see Berger and struck her with his vehicle, adding the deputy remained on scene and immediately contacted his supervisor, which is at odds with what Wampler told the family.
The statement adds an autopsy Monday determined there was no evidence of previous physical injuries to Berger prior to those suffered when she was struck by the responding Deputy's vehicle. Toxicology results and the final autopsy report are pending.
On Sunday, the Missouri State Highway Patrol was brought in to conduct an independent crash investigation.
KMOX reached out to Sheriff Crites seeking clarification on his statement and what the family was told by Lt. Wampler but has not yet heard back.
The family says the department only came clean after witnesses came forward
The family says the department only came clean after witnesses came forward
