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DESERET, Millard County — A 15-year-old girl is dead and an 18-year-old man is in custody following an apparent DUI crash in a rural area southwest of Delta.
Early Friday, just after midnight, Millard County sheriff's deputies were called to a report of a man knocking on doors in the Deseret area. The man said he had been in a crash and was asking for a ride, according to a statement from the sheriff's office.
When deputies located the crash scene a couple of hundred yards away from the house where the man was seeking help, they found a 15-year-old girl deceased in the vehicle, according to the sheriff's office.
Millard County Chief Deputy Richard Jacobson said investigators believe the vehicle was traveling at an excessive rate of speed on the dirt and gravel road when the driver lost control and tried to overcorrect, causing the vehicle to roll several times.
George Jakob Schafer, of Delta, was arrested for investigation of automobile homicide, DUI, underage alcohol consumption and leaving the scene of an accident. He was not severely injured in the incident, Jacobsen said.
According to friends and family members on social media, Noelia Orona, of Delta, was killed in the crash. She was a sophomore at Delta High School.
Schafer and Orona's Facebook pages each have pictures of the two taking selfies together, suggesting they were dating.
Friends on social media mourned Orona's death as word of the crash spread.
"I’m gonna miss you so much," one girl wrote, adding that "you were the only person that I could talk to and not have to worry about what I said. … I will never forget you or let you go."
A GoFundMe account was set up by the Orona's family.
"Noelia Orona was only 15 (years) old when she tragically passed away in a car accident," according to the page. "Such a young life cut short. A very great loss to her family."
Orono is survived by her parents and four brothers, according to the family.
The Utah Highway Patrol is assisting the sheriff's office in investigating the crash.
Contributing: Shara Park
