This evening, shortly after 5:00 pm, the Indiana State Police responded to a report of a one vehicle crash with injuries on US 50 near the Jennings-Ripley County Line.
Upon arriving on scene, troopers found a male with injuries to his lower extremities. Troopers also located a deceased female in the vehicle, which was located well off the roadway.
Troopers soon determined the two individuals were both listed as missing after the Indiana State Police began a missing person investigation two days earlier.
The investigation by Trooper Jordan Craig began on Sunday September 18th, when family members reported Nikki K. Reed, age 37, Seymour, Indiana as missing.
Family members said that Reed had made a trip to Pennsylvania to pick up her boyfriend, Kevin Bell, age 39, Dover, Pennsylvania. She was last heard from on Saturday while driving back to Indiana with Bell.
During the course of the investigation, Trp. Craig learned that Bell’s family had not been able to contact him either since Saturday.
The investigation determined that at some point during the afternoon of Saturday September 17th, Bell lost control of the 1999 Ford Explorer he was driving and ran off the road in the 8600 block of east US 50. T
he vehicle traveled down an embankment and struck a tree head on.
At this time, it appears that Reed, who was in the front passenger seat, sustained fatal injuries in the crash and died instantly.
Due to Bell’s injuries to his legs, he wasn’t able to leave the vehicle and crawl back to the road until this evening, three days later. Bell was transported to St. Vincent-Jennings Hospital in North Vernon for treatment of his injuries. His injuries are not believed to be life threatening.
It should be noted that the vehicle’s location was well off the roadway and not visible from the road.
Trp. Rick Hewitt is conducting the crash investigation. Trps. Hewitt and Craig were assisted by other troopers with the Indiana State Police, Jennings County Sheriff’s Department, Jennings County Fire, Jennings County EMS, and the Jennings County Coroner’s Office.
Reed’s family has been notified.
The investigation is ongoing.
