Names Released in Pennington County Fatal Crash

What:    Single vehicle fatal crash
Where:  SD Highway 44, mile marker 90, three miles east of Scenic, SD 
When:   11:59 p.m., Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Vehicle 1: 2004 Honda Pilot
Driver 1: Chad Lee Doyle, Jr., 24-year-old male from Wanblee, SD, fatal injuries
Passenger 1a: Byron Joey Bear Killer, 23-year-old male from Allen, SD, fatal injuries
Passenger 1b: Twila Whitney Hard Heart, 21-year-old female from Rapid City, SD, fatal injuries
Passenger 1c: Danielle Lee Long Soldier, 33-year-old female from Wanblee, SD, fatal injuries
Passenger 1d: 10-year-old female, fatal injuries

Pennington County, S.D.- Five people died in a single vehicle crash late Wednesday evening, October 1, three miles east of Scenic, SD.

Preliminary crash information indicates Chad Lee Doyle, Jr., the driver of a 2004 Honda Pilot, was traveling eastbound on SD Highway 44 near mile marker 90 and failed to negotiate a curve. The vehicle entered the north ditch and struck an embankment. The vehicle then became engulfed in flames. 

Doyle and four passengers, Byron Joey Bear Killer, Twila Whitney Hard Heart, Danielle Lee Long Soldier, and a 10-year-old female, died at the scene. 

The South Dakota Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. All information released so far is only preliminary. 

The Highway Patrol is an agency of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety.

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Note: Records of state-reportable crashes are now available at http://www.safesd.gov/ . Records should be available about 10 days after the investigation is complete.