WASHINGTON COUNTY — State detectives have identified the 17-year-old boy killed during a chaotic weekend incident involving an apparent shooting and subsequent vehicle crash in rural Washington County.
The Indiana State Police (ISP) Sellersburg Post announced Monday that the deceased teenager is Hunter Blaine Rowley of Pekin.
The multi-agency investigation began Saturday evening, June 13, 2026, at approximately 7:30 p.m. Emergency dispatchers with the Washington County Sheriff’s Department received an automated vehicle crash notification originating from the 8000 block of South Big Springs Road. The rural site sits in south-central Washington County, roughly nine miles south of Salem between the communities of Salem and Palmyra.
When local sheriff’s deputies, firefighters, and medical first responders arrived at the scene, they discovered a single-vehicle wreckage containing Rowley, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Upon assessing the vehicle and the nature of the teen’s injuries, deputies uncovered evidence of an apparent shooting. Recognizing the complexity of the crime scene, local authorities immediately requested investigative and technical assistance from state law enforcement.
Detectives from the Sellersburg Post, alongside ISP Crime Scene Investigators, spent Saturday night and Sunday mapping out the location, preserving physical evidence, and working to establish a timeline. Authorities believe the vehicle crash was entirely after the gunfire, though they have not yet disclosed whether the fatal injuries were caused by the impact of the crash or the shooting itself.
State police emphasized that the investigation is in its earliest stages as detectives review physical evidence and interview individuals connected to the teen or the area.
“At this time, investigators have no information indicating any ongoing danger to the public,” ISP officials shared in a statement, noting that tracking down and interviewing everyone involved remains a top priority.
Authorities are urging anyone who may have been traveling near South Big Springs Road on Saturday evening or who has relevant information regarding the case to contact the Indiana State Police Sellersburg Post.
