Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg of South Dakota claimed hitting a deer on Saturday night while heading home but unexpectedly killed a walker whose body was not discovered until Sunday, as stated by state investigators on Monday.
According to Ravnsborg's office, the attorney general immediately called 911 after the incident on US Highway 14 rural stretch and failed to notice that he hit a man until the dead body was discovered.
On Monday, a statement has been issued by the Department of Public Safety saying Ravnsborg only informed the Hyde County Sheriff's Office that he hit a deer in his car. Tony Mangan, spokesman of the department, would not give a confirmation whether the attorney general has really called the 911, stating it is being investigated, The Washington Post reported.
According to the department, Joseph Boever, the 55-year-old pedestrian who was identified by the authorities, was not found until Sunday morning. According to the victims' relatives, earlier he crashed hit his truck in that area, and he was seemingly walking near the road toward it.
On Sunday, Republican Gov. Kristi Noem disclosed that the attorney general has been involved in a deadly crash and assigned the Department of Public Safety with the investigation, but neither department nor the governor had disclosed any detail.
The investigation of the incident was being participated by the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation. The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation that is commonly involved is part of the office of the attorney general. It is a common practice to request another agency to investigate when there is a conflict of interest.
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On the issued statement of the attorney general on Sunday, he said he was dismayed and filled with sorrow after knowing what happened to the 55-year-old pedestrian but also failed to provide some details about the incident. On Monday, Ravnsborg's office said the attorney general has not been drinking before the crash happened.
In a statement by Tim Bormann, Ravnsborg was traveling from a Republican fundraiser in Redfield to his place that is around 110 miles (177 kilometers) away in Pierre. The attorney general was uninjured.
According to CBS, investigators took nearly 22 hours I identifying the body of Boever with a relative, leaving his family frustrated and doubtful, as stated by his cousin Victor Nemec.
On Saturday evening, Boever crashed his truck into a hay bale that was near the road, as stated by Nemec. The 55-year-old victim said he had been trying to reach for some tobacco.
Nemec sent Boever home and had planned to repair the truck on Sunday. Nemec left the 55-year-old after 9 pm. The crash that took Boever's life happened at around 10:30 pm. According to Nemec, there were no signs that his cousin had been drinking.
According to another cousin of the victim, Boever has been living alone after he got separated from his wife, Nick Nemec.
Victor Nemec, the last identified person who has seen Boever alive, uttered that other than answering several brief questions after identifying Boever's body, he has not been questioned by the investigators about what happened.
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