Dayton police: Man killed in hit-and-run on U.S. 35

Dayton police are investigating a hit-and-run accident that killed a 52-year-old man early Sunday morning, shutting down U.S. 35 East for several hours.

“It appears that someone was hit on U.S. 35 eastbound. They are investigating it as a hit-andrun. He could have been struck by multiple people,” Police Sgt. Steven Bauer said.

Police were dispatched to the scene near the Smithville exit at around 7 a.m. Sunday, after a driver called 911 to say another motorist he was with had hit something — or someone — in the middle road.

“There’s something in the middle of the road, we can’t tell what it is,” the caller told the dispatcher. “We don’t know if it’s a carcass, if it’s a human or what it is.”

A crash report narrative from Dayton police says at about 6:38 a.m., a vehicle traveling east on U.S. 35 in the left lane, at an unknown rate of speed, collided with the pedestrian, who was traveling in an unknown direction.

The driver left the scene without exchanging proper information, according to the report.

The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office is still working to contact the victim’s family, and had not released the man’s identity as of Sunday evening.

Bauer said police were not releasing any information on what kind of vehicle they’re looking for, citing the ongoing investigation.

Eastbound lanes were shut down for nearly three hours after the accident.