OSWEGO, NY – Since the early morning death of Sherri A. Parkhurst on March 14, Oswego Police have been conducting their investigation, collecting physical evidence, and making every attempt to recreate the events that took place.
The investigation into the death of Mrs. Parkhurst has included numerous interviews with neighbors, friends, family, acquaintances and others who may have had knowledge of what led up to Mrs. Parkhurst’s death.
Additionally, Oswego Police have had assistance in the investigation from the Oswego County District Attorney’s Office, Onondaga County Medical Examiner’s Office, and The New York State Police Forensic Investigations Unit as well as sending forensic evidence related to the investigation to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s lab in Quantico Virginia.
As a result of the investigation, it was determined that on March 14, at about 12:30 a.m., Mrs. Parkhurst was walking on Mercer Street in the city of Oswego when Scott K. Gates Jr., 27, of 40 Mercer St., operating a 1997 Chevy pick-up truck, backed out of his driveway and struck Mrs. Parkhurst.
The collision with the motor vehicle resulted in severe head trauma causing Mrs. Parkhurst’s death.
Due to the time of night, lighting, weather and geographic conditions Mr. Gates didn’t realize, at the time, that he had struck Mrs. Parkhurst.
Approximately 20 minutes later, when Mr. Gates returned to his residence, he discovered the victim in his driveway.
Mr. Gates immediately reported the incident to 911.
According to Police Chief Michael J. Dehm Jr., “Our investigators have been able to piece together the events of that took place the night Mrs. Parkhurst died and it has been determined that the death of Sherri A. Parkhurst was the result of a tragic accident. The investigation in this case was made more difficult since there were no witnesses and Mr. Gates, although cooperative during the entire investigation, had been unaware of exactly what had taken place. We had to rely on recreating as much of the incident as possible, while at the same time eliminating any and all other possibilities. In the interest of due diligence, we were not going to release a final determination until we were absolutely sure that it was the right one. Our condolences go out to the family of Mrs. Parkhurst and we thank them for their
cooperation and patience throughout the entire investigation.â€
There are no criminal charges pending against Mr. Gates.
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