Missouri Teen’s Family Demands Clarity After Deputy-Involved Fatal Crash
Family of 16-year-old Persephone Berger demands answers after she was struck by a deputy in St. Francois County, Missouri.
POLICY WIRE — St. Louis, Missouri — The family of a 16-year-old girl who died in a collision with a sheriff’s deputy is calling for transparency after it took several days for them to learn the details of the incident, which they claim was initially mischaracterized as a hit-and-run.
Persephone Berger was struck by a responding deputy in St. Francois County early Saturday morning while the officer was en route to assist someone unresponsive on the road. According to a statement from the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department, the deputy arrived around 3:40 a.m. and noticed the caller’s vehicle with hazard lights on but failed to see Berger lying on the road before hitting her. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Initial autopsy results indicate Berger suffered injuries consistent with being struck by the deputy’s vehicle, with no signs of prior trauma. Toxicology results are still pending, and the cause of death has not yet been officially determined. Berger’s aunt claims the teenager had left home to attend a neighborhood party and was returning when the accident occurred. The family is now seeking full disclosure about what led to the incident and why information was delayed.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
