Fatal Burnsville Crash Now A Criminal Investigation: State Patrol

BURNSVILLE, MN — The Minnesota State Patrol has launched a criminal investigation after a Burnsville teen was killed in a single-car crash on Interstate 35W near Burnsville Parkway Saturday.

James Lapsley, 20, of Prior Lake was driving a 2012 Ford Fusion while Kayli Kim Thompson, 19, of Burnsville was riding in the passenger seat. The Ford was traveling southbound on I-35W and went off the road to the right, hit the sound wall and came to rest in the ditch, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

The crash happened just before 7:30 a.m. Thompson died at the scene. Lapsley was transported to HCMC with non-life threatening injuries.

"With a fatality and a search warrant, so we can test the driver's blood, means we do consider this a criminal investigation, but we cannot comment any further than that," State Patrol Lt. Tiffani Nelson told KSTP.

Blake Hathaway, 20, of Prior Lake, said Lapsley and Thompson were among the group of people at his family's house hours before the deadly crash. "Drug use did happen," Hathaway told KSTP, though he did not name anyone and said he did not use any alcohol or drugs himself.

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