Man arrested months after deadly I-75 crash in Charlotte County that killed 3, including 2 children

A 28-year-old man has been arrested months after a deadly crash on Interstate 75 in Charlotte County that killed three people, including two children.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers said Ryan Richard Mowdy, of Laurel, New York, was arrested and booked into the Charlotte County Jail on Tuesday.

The fatal crash happened on March 27 on northbound I-75 at mile marker 153.

According to the FHP report, investigators are accusing Mowdy of driving a 2014 Jeep Wrangler across the I-75 grass median while under the influence of marijuana and crashing into a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe, killing 6-year-old Fernando, 5-year-old Josiah, and their mother's partner, a 25-year-old North Fort Myers man.

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After the crash, troopers said Mowdy took a small black container out of the Jeep and tossed it across a fence and into a woodline. FHP later discovered it and found that the item contained marijuana.

Mowdy is facing three counts of DUI manslaughter, three counts of vehicular homicide, evidence destruction, and marijuana possession.