Northeastern student dies after hit-and-run crash
Abigail Osborn, a junior at Northeastern High School, died Monday after she was struck over the weekend by a vehicle in a hit-and-run crash and left unconscious by the side of the road, Newberry Township Police said.
Chief John Snyder said he had talked to the Dauphin County Coroner's office and to Abigail's family, and said she died Monday afternoon.
The Northeastern School District expressed its sympathy to Abigail's family in a Facebook post.
"We are deeply saddened by the news of Abby's passing but will remember her, not only as a gifted student and a talented athlete and performer, but also as a friend to everyone," the post states.
Police have charged David Michael Kent Jr., 24, of the first block of Susquehanna Avenue in York Haven, with hitting Osborn with his 2007 Pontiac G5 in the 3400 block of York Haven Road and fleeing the scene.
WATCH: Northeastern soccer player victim of hit and run
RELATED: The last 48 hours in York County: Homicides, suicide, pedestrians struck
Abigail was recently named as one of the Distinguished Young Women of York County, a scholarship program that recognizes students for their academic achievements and community involvement. Lyn Bergdoll, who chairs the program, described her as "a wonderful, wonderful young woman."
Bergdoll had worked with Abigail, whose talent is vocal, since she was in ninth grade and performed in the high school's musical. She was a distinguished honor student who played on the high school soccer team, volunteered as a Spanish tutor and assisted with high school volleyball tournaments, Bergdoll said. She also helped with set construction for the high school musicals, and this year, she played a nun in Northeastern's production of "Sister Act."
Abigail, she said Monday morning, has "a lot of spirit, a lot of energy. Just an upbeat young woman."
"This is beyond belief," Bergdoll said. "It's a real nightmare."
School board president Margie Walker said Monday evening that everyone is in shock, and that Northeastern has great students and they all pull together. They rallied for Abigail on Monday, wearing flannel shirts and Converse sneakers, which she liked. The student body also gathered for a picture outside of the school in support of Abigail.
It's a big, huge family, Walker said of the district. She added that Abigail's mother is a teacher at the intermediate school.
"It's just tragic," she said.
According to a criminal complaint filed in the case, police were sent to the scene of the accident shortly after 1 a.m. Sunday, and when they arrived, they found Abigail lying by the side of the road, unresponsive. Just over 24 hours earlier, she had attended her high school prom.
She had "severe trauma on her body including head trauma," Sgt. Braxton Ditty wrote in the complaint, and she was taken to Hershey Medical Center via helicopter.
She was found near a driveway to her home, Snyder said. Police are not sure how long she had been there. They only know when she was discovered and are working on more leads to determine the timeline.
More: Distinguished Young Women of York County participants named
Watch: Meet York's Distinguished Young Women
More: Hopewell Twp. man killed in police-involved shooting
At the scene, police retrieved debris believed to be the plastic headlamp cover of the car that struck Abigail.
Later Sunday morning, police received a tip from a friend of the victim about a suspicious vehicle parked in the first block of Susquehanna Avenue. The car was covered, but the witness told police that he had seen damage to its right front end. Identifying marks from the debris police recovered matched that on the car's undamaged headlight, according to the complaint.
Police traced ownership of the car, which led them to Eva Morrison, identified as Kent's girlfriend who shares his apartment in York Haven.
Police spoke with Morrison and Kent, who told investigators that Kent was driving when they were returning home from a party in Hanover. Kent told officers that he had struck something on York Haven Road but that he believed it was a mailbox. He told police he did not stop and covered the car when he got home.
More: Spring Grove motorcyclist killed in Conewago Twp. crash
Kent was charged with being involved in an accident involving death or personal injury, failing to stop to give information or render aid, failing to notify police of the accident and tampering with evidence.
He was arraigned at Central Booking and released after posting $30,000 bail.
A GoFundMe page was set up to raise money for Abigail's medical expenses. As of Monday evening, more than $5,500 had been raised.
To donate, visit www.gofundme.com and search "Mission Help Abby."
Reporter Abbey Zelko contributed to this report.
