CLOVERDALE (KRON) — The California Highway Patrol is investigating the death of a 16-year-old Sonoma County teen, after learning that her friends did report the teen as missing.
Angelica Contreras was killed Friday night as she was watching a drag race on a narrow country road in Cloverdale.
CHP officials say that the teen was watching the race near a guard rail at the East First Street Bridge when she was hit, throwing her body about 150 feet.
Investigators with the CHP want to know why nobody reported her missing. Officer Jon Sloat of the CHP said that if the teen had been reported missing, they would have pulled out dogs and helicopters to try to find the girl.
Her body wasn’t found until eight hours after the crash, when a passerby happened to spot it.
Sloat said that the coroner will have to determine if Contreras was killed by the impact of the accident of if she died later that evening.
The teens who were drag racing could face charges. Sloat explained, “anytime we have somebody doing something they shouldn’t be behind the wheel, we’ll look at some sort of manslaughter charges.” However, the ultimate decision on that will be up to the District Attorney.