In the early hours of Saturday, a quiet stretch of Reily Millville Road in Hanover Township became the scene of heartbreak. Just before 6 a.m., a driver called 911. They said they thought they had hit a man lying in the road — and then kept going. The victim has been identified by friends and family as Cory McQuitty, 24, of Ross Township. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Deputies from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office say the tragic crash was a hit-and-run. They believe Cory was already lying in the roadway when the fleeing vehicle struck him. The caller, driving a white van, said they didn’t realize it initially — but the fact that the vehicle left without stopping turned this into a crime scene overnight. Authorities arrived, collected evidence, and interviewed witnesses still reeling from shock.
Word spread quickly. By evening, dozens of people had gathered at Heritage Park to honor him. Friends called Cory “the happiest guy you’d ever meet” — someone whose kindness, goofy sense of humor, and warmth made you feel seen. His girlfriend, Cheyenne Phelps, quietly lit candles, remembering that they were just days away from their six-year anniversary together.
His friend Harrison Colemahan—one of many wrestling for words—said, “He immediately came over to my house and said, ‘Cory’s gone.’ I couldn’t believe it.” To those who knew them, Cory and Cheyenne were inseparable: the kind of couple whose joy seemed to sustain everyone around them. Now, that light is gone.
The Sheriff’s Office is asking for help. If you saw anything — a car driving erratically, someone stopping and then taking off, anything out of place — they want you to call them. They say even the smallest tip might crack the case. They’re piecing together which direction the vehicle went, any witnesses whose memory is sharp in the quiet dawn, and forensic evidence from the road.
Cory’s life was brief, but the impact he made was deep. He’ll be remembered not for how he died, but for how he lived: generous, kind-hearted, full of laughter. In memorials and whispers, in tears and quiet remembrance, his legacy lives on. His memory now carries the weight of a plea — that whoever drove off that morning face what they did, and that the community won’t let Cory’s story fade into silence.