Scottsbluff,NE : Sheriff Department's investigation of fiery crash continues on August, Friday 25th 2017

Authorities have formally identified a 17-year-old Morrill teen as having been killed in a Friday crash.

In a press release Monday, Scotts Bluff County Sheriff Mark Overman identified Lilyanna C. Martin, of Morrill, as the victim found in a burned vehicle south of Morrill. Identification was confirmed through dental records, he said.

Martin had been reported missing by her family on Saturday, Aug. 26.The Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s Department, Morrill Police Department and the Morrill and Lyman fire departments responded to a report of a car on fire at 9:59 p.m., on Friday, Aug. 25 in a field northwest and a short distance from the intersection of South Morrill Road and East Lyman Road, about 3 miles south of Morrill.

Upon arrival, emergency personnel found the vehicle engulfed in flames. Once the fire departments put the fire out, a body was discovered inside the vehicle. Mark Overman, Scotts Bluff County Sheriff, said no one knew anyone was in the car until the fire had been extinguished.

An autopsy had been completed Monday morning. The preliminary results of the autopsy revealed Martin’s death was caused by smoke and soot inhalation. A final determination of the manner of death is pending further investigation and results of toxicology tests, which will likely take four to six weeks.

Overman said, “ We are working to recover other information relevant to a determination, including medical records, cellular data and information from the vehicle’s electronic control module. We expect to accomplish this by the time we receive the autopsy report.

“We are investigating all possibilities and have made no final determinations on what caused this incident. However, at this time there is no evidence of foul play.”

In an interview with the Star-Herald, Overman explained that law enforcement treat every death as a homicide until proven otherwise. They analyze all the information they have and won’t automatically rule anything out.

“We go where the evidence takes us and that’s where we’ll go with this,” Overman said. “If we treat it as a homicide, you do everything right and have no preconceived notions.”

As a part of the investigation, deputies secured the accident scene overnight and the vehicle was re-located to a secure, indoor facility for further investigation. The Sheriff’s office, with assistance from the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Gering Fire Department, have completed a preliminary examination of the vehicle and its contents.


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Sheriff Department's investigation of fiery crash continues