UPDATE: Next of kin found for Danville crash victim

Update on June 24, 2024 at 12:30 p.m.

DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — The Vermilion County Coroner announced that next of kin has been found for a Danville veteran who was hit and killed by a car on Sunday.

Relatives to 82-year-old James W. Ritter were found only a few hours after Coroner Jane McFadden first publicly announced his identity and the search for his next of kin.

McFadden said an autopsy was performed on Monday, though the Coroner’s Office does not release preliminary results.

DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — The Vermilion County Coroner has named the victim of a deadly pedestrian-vs.-car crash that took place early Sunday morning in Danville.

James W. Ritter, 82 of Danville, was hit by a single vehicle at 3:43 a.m. near North Gilbert and West North Streets. Coroner Jane McFadden said Ritter was a U.S. Army veteran.

McFadden added that her office’s attempts to find Ritter’s living relatives “have been exhausted.” Anyone with information regarding next of kin are asked to call the Vermilion County Coroner’s Office at 217-554-6030.

An autopsy was performed on Monday, McFadden said, but results were not immediately shared. The Coroner’s Office and the Illinois State Police continue to investigate the incident.

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