News Release

NORTH WEBSTER — A Syacuse teen who died a week ago has been identified.

Emergency personnel were dispatched to a single-vehicle accident at 5:25 a.m. Dec. 4, on CR 500E, north of CR 650N, after a passerby located a vehicle with significant fire damage. 

Preliminary results of the investigation, conducted by the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office Fatal Team, indicate that Makensie Thomas, 17, of Syracuse, was the sole occupant of a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze that was traveling northbound on CR 500E prior to impact. 

The Cruze left the east side of CR 500E and struck a tree in heavy fog conditions.

Due to the extent of damage, nontraditional identification methods using DNA were subsequently used to identify Thomas as the crash victim.

Kosciusko County Sheriff, Syracuse Police, Tippecanoe Township Fire Territory and the Kosciusko County Coroner responded to the scene.