An Auburn woman is charged with vehicular homicide after she allegedly crashed her vehicle while driving 118 mph on a 45 mph road in Enumclaw while under the influence, resulting in the death of her child, who was a passenger.
On April 30, the King County Prosecutor’s Office charged Savannah Lynn Hopper, 38, whose last known address was in Auburn, with vehicular homicide and violation of ignition interlock after she allegedly crashed and killed her child. According to documents, Woodson Hopper, 12, died as a result of a crash after Hopper allegedly drove at 118 mph while under the influence.
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office reported that Woodson Hopper’s manner of death was an accident, and the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries.
Details of the investigation
Documents state that the collision occurred in the 23300 block of Southeast 416th Street, near Enumclaw Evergreen Memorial Park, where the speed limit is 45 mph. Documents state that Savannah Hopper was driving a white 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV when she exited the road and entered a ditch, traveling at 118 mph, and ended up 80 feet into a field off the road.
According to documents, at about 1:18 a.m., the King County Sheriff’s Office received an automatic 911 call when a crash was detected from a phone number associated with Hopper. Documents state that in the background, Savannah Hopper could be heard saying, “You have to find my phone, baby,” and “I can’t go to jail,” and then she is heard yelling, “Please!”
According to documents, Hopper told officers that she had been ejected from the car, and she said that someone else was the driver. However, documents state that after an aerial search, no one else was found. Additionally, footage from a store where Hopper stopped right before the crash showed someone wearing clothing that matched hers in the driver’s seat, and it also showed Woodson Hopper leaving and entering the passenger seat.
Documents state that the position of the driver’s seat was consistent with Savannah Hopper driving, as well as the retrieval of her slipper that was found to the left of the pedals, which indicated that she was driving. According to documents, the passenger seat was pulled all the way forward, a piece of black hair was found in the windshield, and blood was located, which were consistent with Woodson Hopper being in the passenger seat.
Documents state that when officers arrived on the scene, Savannah Hopper was attempting CPR on Woodson Hopper, who was lying on the ground. According to documents, deputies attempted CPR with an AED on Woodson Hopper until they were relieved by fire and medics, who pronounced Woodson Hopper deceased at 2:11 a.m.
Documents state that officers asked Savannah Hopper if she and Woodson Hopper were the only ones in the vehicle, to which she responded “no” and made other utterances, but stopped speaking mid-sentence. According to documents, she did this multiple times and couldn’t remember the name of the friend who was allegedly driving.
Documents state that Hopper had some blood on her face, around her nose and mouth, but no obvious significant damage. Documents state that Hopper said that she had not lost consciousness during the crash, but then she said that she had gotten knocked out and then came to after the crash. Documents state that in the crashed vehicle, an empty 1.75-liter bottle of vodka was found and some Red Bull.
“Deputies noted the odor of intoxicants” and her “speech was disjointed and in incomplete sentences, stopping mid-sentence or mid-word,” documents state.
Documents state that KCSO Major Accident Response and Reconstruction detectives determined that when the vehicle left the roadway, it ran through a wooden fence and appeared to have become airborne for about 60 feet. According to documents, when the vehicle came down, it cartwheeled through the field, leaving two obvious impact points in the field before coming to rest.
According to documents, Savannah Hopper’s criminal history shows two prior convictions for driving under the influence — one in 2010 out of Pierce County and one in 2009 out of Del Norte Superior Court in California. Documents state she also has a third-degree assault conviction from 2018 out of King County Superior Court.
According to the documents, due to all of these factors, it was requested that Hopper be charged with vehicular homicide under both the DUI and reckless driving prongs. Documents state that Hopper’s driving status was suspended/revoked, with an ignition interlock device required in any vehicle she would be driving. According to documents, the vehicle she was operating did not contain an ignition interlock device.
According to the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention, Hopper is currently being held at the King County Correctional Facility on a $750,000 bail.
The original story referred to Woodson Hopper as Savannah Lynn Hopper’s son; however, the charging documents state that Woodson Hopper was a biological male who identified with the pronouns she/her.
