Marcus Nix III Found Dead Near Baltimore County Crash Scene; Police Investigating
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (WJZ) -- Maryland State Police are investigating an unattended death after an apparent hit-and-run crash on Interstate 795 in Baltimore County earlier this week.
Police received a number of 911 calls just before 8 p.m. Monday night reporting both a single-vehicle crash on the ramp from I-795 to Maryland Route 140 and a hit-and-run on I-795 near Franklin Boulevard.
One of the callers reported seeing a person walking near the scene of the Route 140 crash.
When troopers arrived, they found a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica overturned near the Route 140 ramp. No one was in or near the area, police said.
Police later determined the Pacifica's driver, Marcus Nix, III, 33, of Owings Mills, may have rear-ended a pickup truck hauling a trailer on I-795 near Franklin Boulevard. Nix reportedly had a revoked license.
Nix's family told police he had not arrived home and wasn't responding to their calls.
Crews searched the area near the Route 140 crash Monday night and did not find Nix. Family members resumed searching Tuesday but also did not find him, police said.
"The Baltimore County Police Department not only had their officers, but a helicopter assisting our troopers on the ground, searching for anybody who would be inside that vehicle," Elena Russo, of the Maryland State Police, said. "There was no body to be found."
Around 8 p.m. Tuesday, a family member called 911 after finding the body around 300 feet from the crash site.
"I didn't give up, and that's why I found him," Ashley Leonard, the victim's fiancé, said.
"He was located in an area that was thoroughly searched on Monday, August 24 and would have been clearly visible to searchers. Investigators on the scene found no evidence that Nix had been ejected from the vehicle or that he was struck by a vehicle," state police said in a news release.
It's unclear when Nix died or how his body ended up near the scene. Police are still investigating the crashes and death.
Anyone with information should call state police at 410-780-2700.