Grieving family accuses cops of lying after they said girl, 16, was struck and killed by deputy while lying in middle of road

DAILYMAIL.COM • 1h ago

By VICTOR HELLER, US REPORTER 16:32 09 Oct 2026, updated 16:32 09 Oct 2026

The family of a Missouri girl, who was fatally struck by a cop’s car, is accusing officials of lying about and blurring the circumstances of the teenager’s death.

Persephone Berger, 16, died after a being hit by a deputy’s vehicle at 3.43am on Saturday. The girl was reportedly on her way back home after sneaking out to a party.

The policeman was responding to a report of an unconscious person lying on a street near Park Hills, about 65 miles of St Louis. At the scene, he noticed hazard lights on the caller’s car but did not see Berger and drove over her.

The girl’s family did not learn until Monday that a deputy was involved in the heartbreaking death of the 16-year-old, which they were initially told was the result of a hit-and-run, the family claimed.

Berger’s aunt, Kimberly Cabuchola, is upset that questions about the girl’s death remain unanswered.

The family also questions why Missouri State Highway Patrol was not immediately brought in, especially if the tragedy was initially understood to be a hit-and-run accident.

Cabuchola told First Alert 4 that Berger’s father called her after the crash, saying: ‘Persephone was involved in a hit-and-run, and she’s dead.’

The aunt then took to social media to ask if anyone had any further information about the accident.

Shortly after, Cabuchola said she heard from witnesses that it involved a deputy, but it was not before Monday afternoon that the St Francois County Sheriff’s Office gave the family that detail, she claimed.

‘Nobody said anything to my brother. Nobody contacted my brother. Only one that contacted him within that three-day was the coroner, to tell us that she was so badly mangled that we needed to have a closed coffin for her,’ Cabuchola told First Alert 4.

‘What do you think I’m feeling? Anger. Not because the cop hit her. I mean, accidents happen. But to try to cover it up and to lie to our family? Why? Why would they need to do that? We could have forgiven that officer. Accidents happen.’

Cabuchola continued, ‘All they had to do was say: “Our officer accidentally ran over your child and she died.” That’s all they had to do. But no.

‘The lies. The not calling the right people in. Not getting investigated. Not reaching out to my brother for three days. That wasn’t an accident.’

The aunt added that she does believe the crash itself was an accident but wants more transparency about the night.

‘Just tell us the truth. Just come out and tell the truth. Tell the whole county, this whole county, all of St Francois County, the truth,’ Cabuchola demanded.

The deputy, whose identity was not disclosed, is 23 years old and had only worked for the department for about three months.

The sheriff’s office said they waited until a preliminary autopsy was conducted on Berger’s remains Monday before informing the family about the findings that the girl was hit by the deputy’s car.

Her official cause and manner of death has yet to be determined by a finalized autopsy report from the coroner’s office.

The sheriff’s office added the reason Berger was lying unconscious on the road in the middle of the night remains unclear and under investigation.

‘We feel for the family. We cannot imagine what they are going through,’ Sheriff Crites told Fire Alert 4.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is separately investigating the accident part of Berger’s death.

According to Cabuchola, the sheriff’s department had no video from the car involved but that the deputy’s body-cam footage was given to Missouri State Highway Patrol.

She also said the death scene was cleared before Missouri State Highway Patrol arrived to investigate.

The Leadwood Fire Protection District also said it was initially called to the scene but told by the sheriff’s office that they did not have to come because an officer was already there.

Members of the local community held a solemn candlelight vigil for Berger on Monday evening as they mourned the teenager’s death.

One of the 16-year-old’s friends, Emma Houser, told KMOV Berger was ‘a really lively, understanding person. She never judged a soul. She was just a really sweet person.’

Another one of her friends, Isaac Madden, said Berger was ‘very kind’ and ‘super funny.’

‘She was really smart. She had a bright future ahead of her,’ he added.

The high school released a statement on social media that said in part: ‘Our hearts go out to the student’s family, friends, classmates, teachers, and everyone in our school community who is affected by this heartbreaking loss.

‘Our school community is more than just a place of learning. We are a family and we will continue to support our students, staff, and families through this difficult time.’

The high school also said that there will be counselors and support available for students and staff who have been impacted by Berger’s death.

A GoFundMe has also been organized to help Berger’s family cover funeral costs.

The Daily Mail contacted the St Francois County Sheriff’s Office and Missouri State Highway Patrol for more information.

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