Kentucky teen's death remains unresolved one year later
LEITCHFIELD, KY (WAVE) - Exactly one year ago, a Leitchfield teen left her apartment for a walk. She never returned home.
Three months later, the body of 16-year-old Savanna Crawford was found under a bridge 17 miles away.
Police still don't know how she died, and her mother is desperate to find out what happened to her child.
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At their Penner Drive apartment, Savanna's school assignments are still on the walls -- her guitar and her violin are untouched.
Her mom Amanda Akridge points out the missing poster left on her floor.
"She walked out the door, never did come back," Akridge said. "I don't know if I'll ever know what happened to her."
On April 10, 2017 around 7 p.m., Savanna said she was going for a walk. Surveillance photos show her leaving the apartment looking at her cell phone.
"I always figured she was going to come back," her mother told us. "I never thought anyone was going to do anything."
Savanna wouldn't be seen again for three months, when fishermen found her body nearly 20 miles away under a bridge in Hardin County.
The Hardin County coroner's autopsy ruled the cause of death as undetermined.
Her clothes were still intact. She was found wearing a pair of black converse shoes and a knit hat, similar to what she wore when she disappeared.
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The autopsy didn't find proof of physical trauma, and toxicology reports came back negative. But her body was mostly skeletonized. The coroner said it's unclear how accurate both of those tests were because of the state of decomposition of her body.
"A person don't just die," her mom said. "There's gotta be a reason."
Akridge believes there must be people who know something, and she is desperate for them to come forward and talk to police.
Leitchfield Police are not actively investigating, but the case is still open. Those with information should contact them at (270) 259-3850.
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