3-month-old girl killed in crash that closed I-85 North for hours, Durham police say
CORRECTION: Durham police previously identified the 3-month-old child as a boy. On Wednesday afternoon, police sent an update to say the infant was a girl.
Updated Feb. 10, 2022: Durham police say Shanelle Johnson turned herself in at the Durham County jail Feb. 9 in and was placed under $50,000 bail.
A 3-month-old girl died Tuesday, Jan. 18, when she was ejected from a car during a crash on Interstate 85 in Durham near East Club Boulevard, Durham police said Wednesday.
The crash occurred in the left-most northbound lane around 4:15 p.m. when the driver of a 2012 Volkswagen, identified by police as 39-year-old Shanelle Johnson of Raleigh, tried to merge into the far left lane from the far right lane, the Durham Police Department said in a news release.
Johnson tried to pass a 2004 BMW M3 but collided with the BMW’s left rear corner, police said, which caused her car to overturn several times before coming to a rest in an upright position in the left-most lane.
Johnson was cited by police on Jan. 19, for misdemeanor death by vehicle, careless and reckless driving, and failure to secure a passenger under the age of 16, according to the release.
On Feb. 1, police said they are searching for Johnson and that she faces additional charges: felony death by motor vehicle, felony serious injury by motor vehicle, felony child abuse, driving while license revoked and no liability insurance.
Police have not said whether Johnson is related to the children in the car.
On Jan. 18, two girls, the 3-month-old and a 4-year-old, were ejected from the car when it overturned, according to police. Neither child was secured in the car, police said.
Police said the 3-month-old girl was pronounced dead at the scene.
The 4-year-old girl was taken to a hospital for treatment of critical injuries, police said Wednesday. Johnson was also taken to the hospital with injuries that police said did not appear to be life-threatening.
An investigation into the crash is continuing, police said.
The crash, which was reported by the North Carolina Department of Transportation just before 4:30 p.m., shut down all northbound lanes for more than three hours Tuesday evening. The highway reopened shortly before 8 p.m., police said.
Anyone with information on Johnson is asked to call TACT Investigator Bell at 919-560-4935 ext. 29411 or CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards for information leading to arrests in felony cases and callers never have to identify themselves.
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This story was originally published January 18, 2022 at 5:35 PM.
