The Archbishop Moeller High School community in Cincinnati, Ohio is mourning the death of Dylan Straughn, a 15-year-old sophomore who was struck and killed while riding his bicycle in Colerain Township. The hit-and-run incident left a school, a family, and an entire community searching for answers and leaning on one another through unimaginable pain.
Dylan was found near a guardrail by Prince of Peace Church in Colerain Township after being struck by what witnesses and police described as a white truck.
His older sister, Kylie Stanley, spoke to local news station WCPO 9 in the hours after the incident, saying the family had very little to go on at first.
“All we’ve heard from the police is that it was a white truck and the area that he was found was on our street,” she said. Dylan was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, but he did not survive his injuries.
The news hit Moeller High School hard. School officials quickly issued a statement asking the entire Moeller family to come together and pray.
“We ask our Moeller Family and the community to join us in praying for Moeller sophomore Dylan Straughn ’28 who was critically injured in an accident. Dylan is hospitalized at this time and in dire need of our prayers,” the school posted.
A prayer service was held at the school that same evening at 6:00 p.m., drawing students, parents, teachers, and community members who gathered to support the Straughn family during their most difficult hours.
Local news outlet WLWT captured the depth of the grief felt across the school community, reporting that hearts were broken over the loss of such a young life under such tragic and violent circumstances.
Suspect Indicted as School Plans Memorial Service to Honor Dylan
In the weeks following Dylan’s death, investigators worked to track down the driver responsible. A Hamilton County grand jury eventually indicted Jehoshua Spence, 29 years old, on charges of failure to stop after an accident and driving under a financial responsibility law suspension.
The indictment marked a significant step toward accountability for a tragedy that left a family without their son and a school without one of its own.
Moeller High School announced plans to honor Dylan with a formal visitation held inside the Moeller Gymnasium from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. on a Friday, followed by a prayer service at 11:00 a.m. inside the Paul E. Flaig Performing Arts Center. A private funeral and burial limited to immediate family was scheduled for the following week.
Barrett Cohen, reporting from the Moeller campus, noted the weight of grief that settled over the school during this time, calling the tribute to Dylan a moment of honoring a true man of Moeller.
Dylan Straughn was a sophomore in the Class of 2028, a young man with his whole life ahead of him.
His death has renewed conversations about road safety, hit-and-run accountability, and the devastating impact these incidents have on families and school communities. The Straughn family has asked for continued prayers and support as they navigate this profound loss.
