On Monday, November 9th, 1998, at approximately 7:45 a.m., 16-year-old Ashley Turniak waited in the hallway of Agawam High School in Agawam, Massachusetts. Her excuse to her fellow students was that she was staying for a girlfriend. In contrast, Ashley went without anyone she knew, instead getting into a car with a total stranger.

Less than 20 minutes later, people saw Ashley trying to flag down a state trooper who was parked on I-91 southbound in Longmeadow, MA, right before the state line between CT and MA. The trooper couldn’t see because he was looking in a different direction. In a few seconds, Ashley flew out of the car, which was going between 50 and 65 mph, and landed on the ground feet first. The car kept going fast and went into Connecticut. After more than 20 years, no one knows if Ashley was pushed out of the car or if she jumped out. Ashley was still alive when rescuers got there, but she died tragically at the scene. Later that day, her bag was left on the side of the road. Ashley was barefoot when she jumped out of the car or was pushed out.

Even though I-91 was busy with commuters and police thought that “at least four or five drivers had to take evasive action” (source) to avoid hitting Ashley, no information about the car has ever been released other than that it was “tan or blue.” No one knows anything about who was driving the car.

When I was 12, this happened close to where I grew up. I remember how this made my mom feel, because a girl who was about the same age as my sister and me was killed so suddenly and horribly. So many people saw Ashley get into the car, but nobody knew what kind of car it was or who was driving it. I’ve never even seen evidence if it was a man or woman driving. As far as I know, this case has never changed in a significant way.