Canton Deputy police Chief Helena Rafferty said that officers responding to the scene in Canton early Monday morning found an unoccupied vehicle and thought the driver may have fled.
The vehicle involved in the crash was towed, and Department of Public Works employees responded to cut down a tree that had been taken down in the incident.
Officers, neighbors, a tow truck driver, and Public Works employees all failed to spot the body. Police say he was wearing dark clothing, motionless and it was still dark outside.
Another driver called police at about 7 a.m. to report someone sleeping on the lawn near the crash scene.
"Although we wish we located him earlier, we do not believe it would have changed the outcome at all," Rafferty said.
The victim was a 30-year-old man from Dedham, but his name was not released.
Police said the same driver sideswiped a Canton resident in Stoughton earlier in the morning and then fled at a high rate of speed.
About the Author