A 14-year-old girl was found dead in the back seat of a vehicle being driven by a 16-year-old who was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Santa Rosa, police said.
The discovery was made by officers investigating a hit-and-run crash in the area of Piner Road and Bay Village Circle on Monday afternoon, according to a Santa Rosa Police Department news release.
The collision was reported around 1 p.m.
Officers located the hit-and-run suspect driver’s vehicle down the road from the where the victim’s car had been struck. The driver, a 16-year-old girl, exhibited signs of being “under the influence of alcohol and/or narcotics,” the release stated.
Officers noticed a female passenger who appeared to be passed out in the back seat and was unresponsive when police tried talking to her, according to the release.
She was pronounced dead by emergency medical personnel who were dispatched to the scene to assist.
No signs of trauma were found on her body, and it’s unclear how she died. The circumstances surrounding her death are being investigated, police said.
The driver, a resident of Santa Rosa, has been arrested on suspicion of DUI. She was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment.
Authorities have not released the names of the teens due to their ages.
No further details have been provided amid the ongoing investigation, which is being conducted by detectives from the department’s Violent Crimes Team.
