Hanover Woman Arrested following Fatal Crash that Killed Six-Year-Old Child

Investigation led to the arrest

Indiana State Police arrested 25-year-old Dorothy J. Snell of Hanover, Indiana, on multiple charges related to a May 2025 fatal collision that killed her six-year-old daughter and injured Snell and three others.

On Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at approximately 8:42 p.m., officers from the Austin Police Department and Scott County Sheriff’s Department responded to a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of State Road 256 and U.S. 31. The Indiana State Police Crash Reconstruction Team assumed the investigation upon arrival.

The preliminary investigation revealed that a 2022 white Toyota Camry, traveling westbound on State Road 256, entered the intersection on a green light to turn south onto U.S. 31. Simultaneously, a 2008 Chrysler 300, driven by Dorothy J. Snell, 25, of Hanover, traveling northbound on U.S. 31, disregarded a red light and collided with the Toyota. The driver and passenger of the Toyota were transported to the University of Louisville Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Snell and her front-seat passenger were taken to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. A two-year-old child in the rear passenger seat of the Chrysler was transported to Norton Scott Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Tragically, Snell’s six-year-old daughter, also in the backseat of the Chrysler, was transported to Norton Scott Hospital but succumbed to her injuries.

Certified crash reconstructionist Tate Rohlfing continued the investigation, which determined that Snell’s Chrysler 300 was exceeding the posted speed limit and ran the red light on U.S. 31. The investigation further revealed that the six-year-old was not in a child safety seat or booster seat and was secured only by a standard seatbelt. Indiana law requires all children under the age of eight to use a child restraint system in accordance with the child restraint system manufacturer’s instruction, which are based upon the child’s height and weight. The child restraint system normally used by children in this age group is the booster seat.

The investigation also revealed Snell’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was above Indiana’s legal limit of 0.08%.

The case was turned over to the Scott County Prosecutor’s Office for review, and on July 30, 2025, a warrant was issued for Dorothy J. Snell for the following:
 

• 1 count: Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Death, a Level 1 felony
• 1 count: Causing Death When Operating Motor Vehicle with an Alcohol Concentration Equivalent (ACE) of .08 or More, a Level 4 felony
• 2 counts: Causing Serious Bodily Injury when Operating Motor Vehicle with an ACE of .08 or More, a Level 4 felony
• 1 count: Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Bodily Injury, a Level 5 felony
• 1 count: Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated with a Passenger Less Than 18 Years of Age, a Level 6 felony
• 1 count: Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated with a Previous Conviction, a Level 6 felony
• 1 count: Operating a Vehicle with ACE to .15 or More, Class A misdemeanor.

On the evening of July 30, 2025, Dorothy Snell was located and arrested by Troopers and transported to the Scott County Jail.