SCIOTO COUNTY, Ohio — A fourth person has died following a Scioto County crash that killed three young children last week.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, troopers received a call about a two-vehicle crash on state Route 104 in Morgan Township on May 24.
OSHP says Gage Smith, 22, of Piketon, was driving a Chevrolet Cavalier northbound on state Route 104. After passing another northbound vehicle, Smith lost control, traveled left of center and struck an oncoming southbound vehicle.
Three children in Smith's vehicle died in the crash. They were identified as 4-year-old Navy Copas, 6-year-old Madison Copas and 5-year-old Xavier Smith.
A woman, identified as 28-year-old Courtney Copas, of Piketon, was taken to Grant Medical Center with serious injuries. OSHP says it received confirmation on May 31 that Copas died from her injuries.
Smith was treated at a hospital and is currently in custody at the Scioto County jail. OSHP says he was suspected to be under the influence of drugs and impairment is believed to be a factor in the crash.
Smith is currently charged with three counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and one count of aggravated vehicular assault. It's unclear if the charges will be changed following Copas' death.
📺 10TV+ is available for free: Stay up to date on what's happening in your community with a 24/7 live stream and on demand content from 10TV — available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV.
📧 Subscribe to the Wake Up CBUS newsletter featuring the best stories, personally curated by members of our staff and delivered via email by 6 a.m., Monday through Friday.
