Centralia Police say an investigation into a fatal hit and run indicates the person killed apparently lunged towards the passenger side of the cab of a semi after it had slowed before receiving a green light and proceeding through the Broadway and Locust intersection early Thursday morning.
Lieutenant Steve Whritenour says video from the area shows the person, identified as 54-year-old Tracey Cook of North Hickory Street in Centralia, could no longer be seen after the truck passed. It appears the truck traveled approximately one block to Noleman Street before the female fell off the semi-tractor and was run over by the semi-trailer.
Centralia Police investigators located the driver of the semi-tractor-trailer and the tractor. The trailer is out of state at this time. The Illinois State Police Crime Scene unit processed the tractor. Whritenour reports the driver was cooperative with investigators. It appears the driver was unaware the female jumped onto the outside of the semi-tractor.
Police report they had several contacts with Cook before the incident early Thursday morning.
The first call was at 12:28 Thursday morning when officers met with Cook in front of her home when she advised someone was messing around her trailer behind her residence. She indicated her boyfriend had just left the residence and she remembered he took her keys. Cook indicated she was going to walk to his house to get her keys. Meanwhile, officers checked around her residence and were not able to locate anyone.
About a half hour later, a Centralia officer still patrolling the area saw Cook at Noleman and Walnut Street carrying a baseball bat. Cook indicated she was going to her boyfriend’s house to retrieve some keys. Nine minutes later at 1:12 am, a Centralia Police Officer saw a suspicious vehicle in the 500 block of West Broadway but lost sight of it. The vehicle was relocated around 4th and Hickory and was attempting to catch up when the pickup fled the area. While further checking the area, officers discovered Cook in the intersection of Noleman and Locust where it was quickly determined she was deceased.
At that point, the intersection was closed and Centralia Police Investigations along with an Illinois State Police Accident Reconstruction Unit and the Marion County Coroner was called to the scene. Coroner Troy Cannon says an autopsy is scheduled for Friday in Urbana.
Whritenour said the pickup they were trying to stop had no connection to the death.
Whritenour is commending the Centralia Police Department’s Patrol and Investigations Units that worked tirelessly investigating the case. CPD would also like to thank the Illinois State Police, the Central City Police Department, the Wamac Police Department, and the Marion County Coroner’s Office for their assistance.
The Centralia Police Department would like to express our thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of the victim as well.
This incident is still under investigation and more information will be released later.
