NC Deputies Discover Car Stuck in Mud with Dead Driver, Toddler, and Intoxicated Man

NORTH CAROLINA — A rural road in southeastern North Carolina became the scene of a tragic and deeply unsettling discovery on Friday, July 18, after a stalled vehicle was reported in the Clarkton area. When deputies from the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office arrived, they found 35-year-old Ashanta Hill dead behind the wheel, a 2-year-old child in the backseat, and an intoxicated man sitting inside the same car.

The Bladen County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the call originally came in as a report of “a disturbance” on Leach Bryant Road, a dirt road outside the small town of Clarkton. Upon arrival, deputies observed the vehicle, which appeared to be stuck in mud, with Hill unresponsive in the driver’s seat.

“Also located in the vehicle was a male subject and a 2-year-old child in the back,” the Sheriff’s Office stated in a July 21 press release .

The Scene: A Family Confrontation and a Baffling Death

According to deputies, the man who was inside the vehicle appeared to be intoxicated and had been assaulted by family members at the scene before law enforcement arrived. Authorities did not specify what prompted the altercation but noted that the car had been reported missing the night before.

The identity of the intoxicated man has not been disclosed publicly, and no arrests or charges have been announced so far. It remains unclear what his relationship was to Hill or the child.

Despite the tragic state of the vehicle’s driver, the child was found physically unharmed. Officials confirmed that the 2-year-old was safe, though the circumstances of the ordeal are still under investigation.

Who Was Ashanta Hill?

According to her Facebook profile, Hill was originally from Clarkton but had been residing about 10 miles north in Elizabethtown. Clarkton itself is a small rural community located approximately 110 miles southeast of Raleigh.

Hill’s cause of death has not yet been publicly confirmed. The sheriff’s office noted that an autopsy was scheduled, but as of now, no additional medical findings have been released.

What Comes Next?

The situation raises a number of troubling questions:

• Why was the vehicle in that remote area and how did it end up stuck?
• What led to Hill’s death while in the driver’s seat?
• Why was the intoxicated man not able to remove the child or call for help?
• What were the family dynamics behind the scene of assault?

Law enforcement officials have not ruled out foul play, though they have also not declared the death suspicious at this stage. Investigators are waiting on autopsy results and further witness statements to piece together the final hours leading up to Hill’s death.

This tragic case joins a growing number of troubling discoveries in rural North Carolina recently, including incidents where children or vulnerable adults have been found in high-risk environments. Just days earlier, a separate case involved a suspect in a past homicide being located hundreds of miles from the original crime scene.

Have you or your community experienced situations where law enforcement faced challenges protecting vulnerable individuals, especially in rural areas? Share your thoughts with us at SaludaStandard-Sentinel.com.