Mystery surrounds 17-year-old found dead on Bithlo road, troopers say

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol are trying to piece together how a teen died on a Bithlo road.

Lewis Helmick, 17, was found around 11:30 p.m. Saturday lying in the southbound lanes of Story Partin Road near East Colonial Drive.

Troopers are trying to figure out if Helmick was involved in a hit-and-run, an accident, or something else, investigators said.

“He was the one that helped me start to get into BMX and basically BMX has helped keep me out of trouble,” Helmick’s friend, Christopher Iannucci said.

Troopers believe the driver of a 1997 Chevy Astro van ran Helmick over, but investigators said he was already laying on the road when hit.

Deputies with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office found Helmick in the road while they were responding to a separate drug call.

Troopers were called at 2:45 a.m. Sunday to investigate after a doctor at the hospital noticed tracks on Helmick’s body.

Helmick’s family said doctors told them their loved one had blunt force trauma to the head and did not overdose on drugs.

“I just want justice for Lewis,” Iannucci said.

Troopers have the van that they believe hit Helmick, but they need a warrant to test the undercarriage for evidence. They're also awaiting the medical examiner's official cause of death and toxicology reports.

Investigators have interviewed witnesses and the owner of the van. No arrests have been made.

Cox Media Group