Highway Patrol: Suspect was under influence during crash that killed 16-year-old girl in Henderson
VANCE COUNTY, NC (WTVD) -- A man charged in a deadly weekend crash that killed a 16-year-old girl is suspected to have been under the influence of a controlled substance, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
In a statement, officials wrote they determined that 29-year-old Ryan Taylor was impaired when he crashed into a car that had slowed down to turn into a private drive.
The crash happened around 1:30 a.m. in Vance County.
Investigators said two vehicles were traveling east on Raleigh Road prior to the collision. The second vehicle had slowed to make a left turn into a private drive when Taylor failed to slow down his vehicle and collided with the second vehicle. Taylor then ran away from the scene before being caught by police.
RELATED: 16-year-old girl killed, two other teens injured in Henderson car crash
Sixteen-year-old Kasi Thompson was killed in the crash. Her family confirmed her funeral is set for Wednesday afternoon in Henderson.
Elijah Brown, a fellow teenage passenger in the vehicle, suffered a severe head injury and was airlifted to Duke Hospital.
Taylor was charged with 2nd-degree murder, felony death by vehicle, felony hit and run, driving while impaired, careless and reckless driving, failure to reduce speed, open container of alcohol and a license restriction violation.
He was placed in the Vance County Jail with no bond.
