7-year-old with autism killed in hit-and-run after wandering from home, GA police say
A 7-year-old girl is dead after she was hit by a car after wandering from her Atlanta-area home over the weekend, police said.
Now, authorities are searching for the driver, who fled the scene.
The deadly crash occurred just after 10:15 p.m. on Jan. 9 on New McEver Road in Acworth, according to Cobb County police. Authorities said the 7-year-old, who had autism, slipped out of her home without her parents knowing and was walking in the road.
A driver traveling eastbound struck her with their car, knocking the child face down with her body still partially in the the roadway, police said in a news release.
The child was pronounced dead on scene, and authorities notified her parents. Her identity hasn’t been released.
Police said the car that fled the scene likely has front-end damage, including a missing University of Alabama vanity plate. There could also be damage to one of the headlights.
Police haven’t released details on the make and model of the car.
Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call Cobb County police investigators at 770-499-3987.
Acworth is about 32 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta.
This story was originally published January 10, 2022 at 12:49 PM with the headline "7-year-old with autism killed in hit-and-run after wandering from home, GA police say."