19-05-2025
Pregnant woman killed in Whiteford Township crash
WHITEFORD TOWNSHIP — A pregnant woman was killed in a traffic crash in on US-23 shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday, May 17, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
Kaitlyn Ellison, 32, of Petersburg, was operating a red Ford Escape northbound on US-23 when she was side-swiped by a 24-year-old man from Oregon, Ohio, who was operating a white Chrysler 300, the sheriff department said in a news release.
According to witnesses, the Chrysler was moving at high speed prior to the crash. It merged into the right lane from the shoulder and attempted to pass Ellison on the left north of Consear Road. The Chrysler struck the Escape, causing it to run off the roadway to the right. It rolled several times over an embankment before coming to rest on its right side. Ellison was trapped in the vehicle and had to be extricated by the Whiteford Township Fire Department. The Chrysler also lost control after impact and came to rest in the left median of the expressway.
"Ms. Ellison was transported to Toledo Hospital where she was pronounced deceased," read the sheriff's office's release. "Ms. Ellison was 7 months pregnant. The unborn child was also pronounced deceased."
Investigators said the Chrysler's driver fled the scene on foot. Police dog and drone teams from the sheriff's office were brought in to search the area. During the search, deputies located the driver at the Pilot Gas Station on US-223. The driver was arrested and lodged at the Monroe County Jail on two counts of second-degree homicide and two counts of operating while intoxicated causing death.
"He is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law," the sheriff's office said.
Anyone with information is asked to call 734-240-7548. Anonymous tips can be called into Crime Stoppers at 1-800-speakup or can be submitted on their website,
— Contact reporter Connor Veenstra at CVeenstra@
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Petersburg woman and unborn child killed in car crash
