'For 15 Agonizing Days' Naperville Man Killed In Out-Of-State Crash Remained Unidentified

NAPERVILLE, IL — A 27-year-old from Naperville who was fatally struck by a semitrailer last month in rural Oklahoma remained unidentified for weeks, according to the man’s family and local police.

The man, identified by his family as Zachary A. Pauley, was found around 6:30 a.m. March 2 on the shoulder of southbound U.S. Highway 69/75 in Colbert, police said, near the Texas border.

Fingerprinting and DNA analysis were inconclusive in trying to identify the man, according to police, who circulated a flyer that pictured his face and distinctive tattoos.

“For 15 agonizing days, he remained unidentified,” his mother, Dawn DeGraff, wrote in a GoFundMe seeking donations to pay for his funeral and to transport his body back to Illinois.

Pauley was lying on the shoulder of the road for at least three hours before he was found, according to KXII, which reported that investigators believe he stepped into the road and was hit.

The driver, who was not immediately charged, returned to the area after the collision but did not go far enough down the road, KXII reported, noting the driver works for Lion BG of Bolingbrook.

Authorities announced March 4 that they had identified the semitrailer believed to be involved in the crash and were working with the trucking company and its legal representatives.

Pauley graduated from Naperville Central High School — where he played football and wrestled — in 2016, according to his obituary. He was a Life Scout and loved camping, fishing and animals, the obituary said. After high school, he joined the U.S. Navy and worked as an aviation mechanic, according to the obituary.

He is survived by four parents and five siblings, the obituary said.

Any GoFundMe donations not used for end-of-life expenses will be given to a homeless veteran’s organization, according to the obituary.