The driver – a teenage boy – was arrested in connection with the crash, sheriff’s detective Sgt. Jerry Bates said.

A passer-by found the wrecked car near Brookdale Road East and Waller Road East and called deputies. The car was on its side in a wooded area, Bates said.

Deputies investigated and found the girl dead at the scene. They suspected other people had been in the car at the time of the accident and began investigating.

The driver and another passenger were later found. The driver was arrested. The other passenger, also described as a juvenile, was taken to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and Health Center in Tacoma for treatment of injuries.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office did not release the girl’s name.

The investigation was continuing. Investigators were looking into whether drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash, Bates said.

Stacey Mulick, The News Tribune