Sun, May 28, 2017, at 10:04 PM
Muncie – Sunday afternoon around 4:35 p.m. Delaware County dispatched a report of a one vehicle crash with ejection on northbound SR 67, the Muncie Bypass, just north of Meeker Avenue. Troopers Coley McCutcheon and Eric Patterson, along with Delaware County Deputies arrived to find a car off the right side of the road.
The preliminary investigation indicates the driver, Jessica Skeens age 28 of Farmland, was driving a van north on the Muncie Bypass with her boyfriend, Nathaniel Jordan, age 27 of Muncie, with two of her children in the middle seat in child restraint seats, and two more of her children in the rear seat without child restraint seats.
Skeens and Jordan were arguing when Jordan punched Skeens and grabbed the steering wheel, causing her to lose control of the van. The vehicle left the right side of the roadway rolling over into the ditch, coming to rest on its wheels.
Skeens 6-year-old daughter, Taelyn Woodson, a back seat passenger, was partially ejected out of a window and succumbed to her injuries. The other three children were transported to I.U. Health’s Ball Memorial Hospital for the treatment of minor injuries.
Jessica Skeens was transported from the scene for treatment of a broken arm. Nathaniel Jordan, who was treated for minor injuries and released, was arrested by troopers for Neglect of a Dependent Causing Death, Level 1 Felony, along with Felony Criminal Recklessness and Domestic Battery. He was lodged in the Delaware County Jail.
The crash remains under investigation, with further charges possible pending toxicology reports and further investigation into the crash. It is believed that alcohol was a contributing factor in the crash and that no or improper use of child restraints and seatbelts contributed to injuries in the crash.
All Suspects Are Presumed Innocent Until Proven Guilty in a Court of Law
SOURCE: Indiana State Police