STAUNTON — A suspect accused of killing a man in an alleged hit-and-run on Interstate 81 last weekend in Augusta County told police he thought he’d struck a deer, according to court documents.
He also admitted to drinking alcohol before and after the incident.
On Sunday shortly before 4 a.m., an unidentified man was found dead on I-81 next to the southbound lanes at mile marker 210. Virginia State Police located a license plate close to the man’s body, as well as a number of vehicle parts on the ground, according to two affidavits for search warrants that were filed in Augusta County Circuit Court.
“Biological material marks were on the pavement and items from the victim were scattered at the scene,” both affidavits said.
The suspect’s 2005 Dodge Ram pickup was found in the 200 block of Windigrove Drive in Waynesboro, and it reportedly had matching damage when compared to debris discovered at the crash scene. Police spoke to the owner of the pickup, 25-year-old Austin W. Eavey, who admitted to hitting “what he thought was a deer,” court documents said.