DOVER, Del. — Authorities have arrested 24-year-old Aaliyah Graves of Chestertown, Maryland, in connection with a fatal pedestrian crash on North DuPont Highway early Sunday morning, August 31. The victim, 62-year-old Barbara Benson, was struck by a southbound black Toyota Avalon and tragically died at the scene shortly after the incident.
Graves turned herself in to the Dover Police Department on Labor Day, September 1, and was arraigned before being committed to Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution on $14,650 cash bail. She faces multiple charges, including leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death, theft of a motor vehicle, tampering with evidence, operation of a vehicle causing death, driving without a valid license, and driving at an unreasonable or imprudent speed.
Investigators recovered the vehicle in Worton, Maryland, following the incident. Dover Police continue to urge anyone with additional information to contact them at 302-736-7111.
Graves is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Authorities continue to remind drivers to exercise caution and remain vigilant, especially in areas where pedestrians are present, to prevent such devastating tragedies.