Statement issued 8:42 a.m. on March 18, 2022

The Hardin County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal traffic crash that claimed the lives of 2 persons on Thursday evening, March 17, 2022.

At 5:38 p.m. Hardin County Central Dispatch received a report from a passerby of a vehicle off the road and fully engulfed in flames in a field on County Road 75 at County Road 30 in Liberty Township.

Upon their arrival, emergency responders were unable to gain access to the vehicle due to the intensity of the flames. Once the fire was extinguished, the two occupants of the vehicle were discovered to have perished. Their identity has not been released pending positive identification.

The crash continues to be under investigation by the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).

In addition to BCE, those who assisted the Sheriff’s Office include: the Ada Police Department, the Ada Liberty Fire Department, the Ada Liberty EMS, the Multi County Crash Investigation Team, the Hancock Co. Sheriff’s Office, Hardin County Prosecutor’s Office, Osborn Towing and Recovery Service and the Hardin County Coroner’s Office.

Keith A. Everhart, Sheriff