MURRIETA: Many questions remain after three Hemet residents, ages 13, 16 and 18, killed in early-morning rollover crash

Trevor Montgomery

Riverside County News Source

UPDATE #3

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More questions than answers remain in the triple fatal rollover traffic collision that occurred on Winchester Road in the City of Murrieta on Jan. 16. The deceased have been identified by the coroner’s office as Kile Kennedy the III, who turned 13 on the day of the tragic, early morning accident;  Anthony Aleman, 16 and Tate Herman, 18. All three victims were confirmed to be residents of Hemet.

Officers, who found alcohol inside the vehicle following the crash, have not yet officially announced if they believed alcohol or drugs played a significant role in this deadly collision,

Although there are few answers yet, the investigation, being conducted by Murrieta Police Department, is active and ongoing.

In a press release, Murrieta PD Traffic Sergeant Jay Froboese wrote, “At this point in the investigation it appears from the fatal injuries to the occupants and severe damage to the vehicle that speed was a definite factor in the collision. There were no other vehicles involved in the collision and only one witness to the actual collision,”  Froboese continued, “The witness was headed northbound on Winchester and observed the silver 2002 Lexus IS300 (being driven) at a high rate of speed southbound just prior to the collision.”

Adding more fuel to the speculative fire was the revelation by Froboese that, “Alcohol was found in the vehicle during the police investigation, but it is unknown at this time if alcohol was a factor in the collision. This will not be known until toxicology reports are received from the coroner. This will not occur for several weeks.”

Only further adding to the mystery of what really happened that fateful morning, was the admission by Froboese, it is unknown at this time who was driving the Lexus at the time of the collision.

Froboese and Murrieta Police Department is asking for the public’s help if any witnesses may have seen a silver 2002 Lexus IS300 southbound Winchester around between 1:20 a.m. to 1:40 a.m. Saturday morning.  If the public has any information regarding this vehicle, its occupants, or the vehicle accident please call Investigator Dave Hernandez 951-461-6396 with your information. Callers can refer to incident file number 1601M-3360 and callers can remain anonymous.

UPDATE #2

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The Riverside County Coroner’s Office has now confirmed the identities of all three victims killed in yesterdays triple fatal, rollover accident on Winchester Road in the city of Murrieta.

The coroner’s office had previously identified Kile Kennedy the III as the youngest of the three victims. Kennedy would have turned 13 on the day of the tragic, early morning accident.

This morning, the coroner’s office identified the additional two victims of the single-vehicle roll-over accident as Anthony Aleman, 16 and Tate Herman, 18. All three victims were identified as residents of Hemet.

As of this report, CHP officials, who are investigating the accident, have not stated whether drugs or alcohol played a part in this terrible incident. The investigation is ongoing.

This story is still developing. Check back for more updates.

UPDATE #1

See Original Story Below

The Riverside County Coroner’s Office has confirmed the identity of the youngest of the juveniles killed in yesterdays triple fatal, rollover accident on Winchester Road in the city of Murrieta. Kile Kennedy the  III, also known to many of his friends as “Big Kile” or “Big K”, would have turned 13-years-old on the day of the fatal single-vehicle accident.

The coroner’s reported listed Kennedy’s time of injury at 1:48 a.m., when the first 911 call was received. The report listed Kennedy’s time of death at 1:55 a.m., when the initial emergency first responders arrived. The coroner’s report also clarified the exact location of the accident to have been on the Southbound SR 79, approx. 1226 feet North of Benton Rd., in the unincorporated area of Winchester

By late in the afternoon, just hours after the tragic accident, a makeshift memorial had already been erected, near where the 2002 Lexus involved in the wreck crashed through a guard rail and rolled over multiple times into a field adjacent to the highway.

The identities of the other two victims, while named throughout countless shocked social media groups, where friends and family are openly mourning the loss of the three teens, have not yet been officially identified.

As of this report, it was unknown if drugs or alcohol played a part in this terrible incident and the investigation is ongoing.

This story is still developing. Check back for more updates.

ORIGINAL STORY

Three people were killed early Saturday morning, Jan. 16, in a single-vehicle rollover traffic collision. The accident occurred when the vehicle they were travelling in smashed through a guard rail and rolled over in an adjacent dirt field.

Murrieta police responded to the crash, which was reported at about 1:50 a.m. According to police officials, the fatal accident occurred near the intersection of Winchester Road and Max Gillis Blvd.

Upon arrival, officers found a destroyed, silver, 2002 Lexus 300 in a field. Officials, who are still conducting an accident investigation, stated the car appeared to have veered off the road immediately preceding the accident. As of this report, it was not known what had caused the vehicle to swerve off the roadway.

Firefighters and paramedics responded to the scene of the tragic accident, however the driver and two passengers, all described as males, were found to be unresponsive. All three people who were inside the car at the time of the accident were pronounced dead at the scene by emergency first responders.

The identities of the occupants has not been released, pending notification of the victim’s families.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information about the accident is asked to contact Murrieta Police Officer Stickelman at (951) 696-3615.

This story is developing. Check back for more updates.

 

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