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SOUTH OGDEN — A Layton man was charged with manslaughter Friday in the death of an 18-month-old girl struck by a vehicle in July.
Aaron Joe Burlison, 25, was behind the wheel when he hit 18-month-old Lexie Smith in a South Ogden parking lot on July 27, charging documents state.
Lexie later died from her injuries at Ogden Regional Medical Center. The parking lot where she was hit is at The Falls at Canyon Rim, an apartment complex at 6045 S. Ridgeline Drive, according to South Ogden police.
Burlison is charged in Ogden's 2nd District Court with the second-degree felony manslaughter offense and possession or use of a controlled substance, a class B misdemeanor.
Court documents say Burlison "did recklessly cause the death of another." The controlled substance charge specifies he allegedly used or had marijuana.
Charging documents don't specify what led to Burlison allegedly running over the girl. Investigators released few details at the time of the crash, and South Ogden Police Sgt. Will DeHart could only confirm Friday that the manslaughter charge is for the incident that took Lexie's life.
South Ogden Police Lt. Dwight Ruth said in July there were no "obvious signs" in the initial investigation that alcohol, drugs or excessive speed contributed to the auto-pedestrian crash.
Lexie's parents, Rhett and Melissa Smith, shared their grief in July in a statement on a GoFundMe donation website* in their daughter's name.
"We are heartbroken. We don't know how we will endure this trial and loss," the statement reads. "We love our sweet little Lexie so much. Losing her is unbelievably painful. Thank you so much for your love and prayers. We have felt them."
Lexie Smith was the youngest of three children, with an older brother and sister, according to the GoFundMe site, which raised about $14,000 to pay for funeral expenses, more than triple the original posted goal.
"We have felt the love of the Lord through the kindness that has been shown to us," Rhett and Melissa Smith said in another statement on the site.
No arrest warrant or court summons had been issued as of Friday for Burlinson. No initial court date is set in his case.
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