Daniel Dahm BITHLO – An 80-year-old Orlando woman kneeling in a parking lot was struck and killed Friday morning in Bithlo by a pickup truck that was backing up The FHP said a 2010 Ford F-150 was stopped facing west in a driveway at the Cedarhurst Mobile Home Village while the woman was kneeling in the guest parking lot began backing out of the driveway and said he did not see the woman who was struck by the left back tire of the pickup The woman was taken to Advent Health East Hospital and was pronounced dead remained at the scene and were not injured Note: This map depicts the general area of this crash and not necessarily its exact location Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: Copyright 2025 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved joined the ClickOrlando team in November 2021 Daniel started with WKMG-TV in 2000 and became the digital content manager in 2009 When he's not working on ClickOrlando.com Daniel likes to head to the beach or find a sporting event nearby TV Listings Email Newsletters RSS Feeds Contests and Rules Contact Us / Follow on Social Media Careers at WKMG Closed Captioning / Audio Description Public File Current EEO Report Terms of Use Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Info FCC Applications EEO Report Disability Assistance Copyright © 2025 ClickOrlando.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group A Titusville man was struck and killed by a sport-utility vehicle Thursday night while he was walking across State Road 50 in Bithlo The fatal pedestrian crash occurred just before 7:30 p.m in the eastern Orange County community at the intersection of Third Street North nearly two miles west of Orlando Speed World walked into the eastbound lanes of SR 50 (East Colonial Drive) where he was struck by a 2003 Honda Pilot driven by a 40-year-old Orlando man The pedestrian was not in a marked crosswalk and the fatal crash remains under investigation FHP: Melbourne girl, 13, fatally struck by sport-utility vehicle while riding bicycle on Aurora Road Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1 Support local journalism. Unlock unlimited digital access to floridatoday.com. Click here and subscribe today. Subscribe Support Us American Civic Life Impact Circle touring Transformation Village As a Pakistani American Muslim deeply engaged in interfaith work and identities has always felt like an avenue for greater inclusion and equity Health equity fits seamlessly into the goal of religious pluralism utilizing our nation’s asset of faith communities (and faith identity more broadly) to activate more significant health outcomes I’ve witnessed a partnership emerge between three national organizations advancing the fruitful engagement of faith in health: AdventHealth I attended our Faith & Health Impact Circle Convening at AdventHealth Headquarters in Orlando in late February we sought to dig deep into the fundamental question: How can we unlock the positive potential of our nation’s religious diversity to strengthen human flourishing how can we tangibly uplift all the meaningful work already happening in this space After our attendees gathered for a Sunday night welcome supper established over a hundred years ago in Orange County What made Bithlo distinctly unique was the rapid development and flourishing around it with Bithlo remaining on the outskirts with little urban development We heard from Tim McKinney, CEO of United Global Outreach, who has led efforts to increase equitable housing, public health, and education efforts in an area of Bithlo called “Transformation Village.” Tim shared how his Christian faith drew him to this work and how he was called to serve those in his community and ended the day with a visit to a local church that had successfully run a food bank during the pandemic and fed thousands we grappled with a dichotomy of visuals and emotions — for me What does taking matters into your own hands mean when the government stops serving you We asked ourselves questions about the scalability of this work and the role that faith communities play in mobilizing to serve those in need How do you build the civic muscles of local stakeholders to ensure sustainability we returned to the AdventHealth HQ and were led through design sessions with the Facilitation Team visiting Transformation Village and the local Church We asked ourselves what role faith leaders play in mobilizing action and how to create a system of local stakeholders to step in and maintain local leadership where the movement of faith and health is headed we grappled with questions around our collective goal and how we can build a relational architecture to uplift the work happening in the intersections of faith and health We began mapping out our ‘assets’ across the country We reaffirmed that we are a network of actors and practitioners working in all corners of the country to advance the positive engagement of faith in health and best practices we could walk away with Gary Gunderson shared words of wisdom that the ‘movement is moving us’ – and there are two basic rules that make up a movement:  we broke into two breakout groups: one focused on mapping out those ‘opportunities’ worth showing up for and another group thinking through a larger relational architecture to keep us moving We heard about upcoming gatherings from We the World and Princeton Theological Seminary We prototyped a model that community partners could apply to maximize their strategic approach to health equity and increased health outcomes the LAMP Lens is a framework that emphasizes the importance of leveraging the unique contributions of four critical dimensions of expertise to foster health equity and community wholeness The LAMP Lens is designed to empower community health initiatives to pursue health equity and community wholeness in meaningful and deeply respectful ways of the community’s diverse knowledge systems By emphasizing the equal importance of these four dimensions of expertise the LAMP Lens encourages a holistic approach to health initiatives This approach addresses immediate health needs and builds resilient communities that can sustain health and well-being over the long term we are eager to continue fleshing out this framework and broader network-building movement what role does Interfaith America play in this work We see ourselves as gatekeepers for ‘trusted nodes’ in this movement—an intergenerational network of leaders in the field  As we continue to grow our Faith & Health Collaborative, we invite you to join us in this work by joining our LinkedIn.  Sara Rahim is a Program Manager at Interfaith America.  Interfaith America Magazine seeks contributions that present a wide range of experiences and perspectives from a diverse set of worldviews on the opportunities and challenges of American pluralism. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of Interfaith America, its board of directors, or its employees. Privacy Policy Terms of Use Copyright @ 2024 Interfaith America Interfaith America is 501 (c)(3) non-profit recognized by the IRS and resources from Interfaith America in your inbox ORANGE COUNTY tells News 6 that this week’s bitter temps have gotten to her “Florida is not supposed to be this cold,” Hildebrandt said She currently lives in a tent in the woods of Bithlo it’s like taking the oxygen out of your body and expecting to still be able to breathe [EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos] Hildebrandt often visits Transformation Village to eat she and others go find respite during the day they can’t spend the night there and for most the designated cold weather shelters in Orange County are too far away “There are zero options if you’re homeless in East Orange County and that’s just not okay,” CEO of United Global Outreach Timothy McKinney said and it’s been heartbreaking and candidly embarrassing,” McKinney said “I go home every night to an apartment that has heat I close the doors here at night and leave people outside to endure the elements because they don’t have shelter options.” McKinney has been working on Transformation Village for a decade to give the unsheltered community what he calls the VIP experience “We’ve got our partners of salt out of here doing showers and clothing and washers and dryers and storage and social work and rights and mental health counseling opened our medically assisted treatment center to address substance use disorder and behavioral health issues,” he explained “You need to be treated like you’re an important person because you are.” McKinney cannot tackle this issue alone and is asking for help He stresses the need for the county and community members to unite in finding a solution for a homeless community that continues to be pushed further into this area “We need to aggressively and quickly find a location where we can immediately open a shelter And we need to cut through all the red tape,” McKinney urged The need for a nearby shelter is urgent for people like Hildebrandt who wants the community to remember that she shivers just like everyone else Transformation Village is accepting donations to keep people warm this winter. If you’d like to donate clothes, blankets or outdoor heaters or learn how to volunteer with them, click here Stephanie joined News 6 as a reporter in October 2024 a tornado warning was issued by the National Weather Service in Melbourne at 6:44 a.m That includes the following areas: Brevard Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris." the NWS issued a statement: The National Weather Service in Melbourne has issued a tornado warning for the following areas: a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Bithlo What hazards are associated with the tornado warning in Brevard County IMPACTS: Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter This dangerous storm will be near Wedgefield The warning is expected to remain in effect until 7 a.m How do you stay safe during a tornado?During a tornado If you are driving in an area with a tornado warning you should look for ways to safely get off the road and out of your vehicle preferably by seeking refuge in a sturdy building ditch or culvert and cover your head with your arms A tornado warning is issued when a tornado is either sighted or indicated on radar meaning there is imminent danger to life and property If you are in the area of a tornado warning take cover immediately in the lowest floor of a sturdy building move to the closest sturdy shelter and take cover A tornado watch is issued when the environment is capable of producing tornadoes If you are located in the area of a tornado watch the NWS recommends having a plan in place in the event a tornado forms Be ready to act quickly if a tornado warning is issued Reporters Diane Pantaleo and Jana Hayes contributed to this article This weather report was generated automatically using information from the National Weather Service and a template written and reviewed by an editor Anne Reid stands on the gravel enjoying the coolness and quietness of a morning that will soon become her busiest days of week While this general dentist can usually be found at her Mills 50 practice today she’s in Bithlo where a slew of volunteers and a state-of-the-art mobile dental unit arrive once a month to deliver free dental services to area residents Sprouting New Smiles: Bithlo Dental Program extractions and fillings for about 15-20 patients who sign up in advance through AdventHealth,” says Anne who schedules more severe cases at her office or with oral surgeons who have partnered with the Bithlo Dental Program hygienists and assistants have helped over 900 people have healthier smiles the program works alongside the Dental Care Access Foundation to provide free dental care to under and uninsured individuals of Central Florida the program has leveraged over $700,000 in free dental services delivered by more than 200 volunteer dentists more than 900 people now have a healthier smile He scheduled his daughter for a visit one Sunday and when an appointment opened up he unexpectedly found himself in the dental chair Chuck discovered he had a lot more decay than he thought “They pulled a few teeth and then set me up with partials,” he says The former teacher had his two front knocked out during a home invasion a few years ago and just hasn’t felt the same since “I was always proud of my teeth and had braces when I was younger,” he says “But I hadn’t been to a dentist in years because I am wheelchair bound But now that they’re replaced I am myself again Our website uses cookies. Please review our privacy policy to find out more about the cookies we use Browsing our website means you accept these terms – A 24-year-old was shot and killed in Bithlo on Sunday morning and a suspect has been arrested according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday after they responded to the 18300 block of 12th Ave when deputies arrived they found Nathan Johnson had been shot Johnson was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and was later pronounced dead Johnson’s fiancée told deputies there was a fight in the front yard of a residence between the victim and her father — Mullins — while both were intoxicated Deputies said the woman told them Mullins is the one who shot Johnson he claimed a drive-by shooting occurred and Johnson was struck Deputies interviewed the woman who witnessed the shooting a second time She said the fight started because Mullins thought the victim pulled his wife’s hair the woman said there was no drive-by shooting The woman also told deputies that her father purchased a handgun “off the street” on Saturday A gun was found next to the victim’s body and the woman said she was sure it was the same gun that her father showed her the day before Mullins faces a charge of first-degree murder with a firearm Copyright 2023 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved mostly as a photojournalist and video journalist before joining Spectrum News 13 as a web editor and digital journalist in 2021 Derived from the Muskogee Indian word "pilo," meaning canoe was established more than 100 years ago in a rural eastern corner of what is now Orange County as Central Florida grew and flourished around it devoid of the urban development that built up much of early Orlando during the Florida Land Boom of the 1920s "We were moved by the challenges the people of Bithlo face and equally by the commitment of United Global Outreach Our goal is to simply come along side this community to support and encourage." -Brian Paradis AdventHealth's mission has propelled us to help restore basic needs for underserved communities in Ethopia we decided it was time to take action close to home Surrounded by scrap yards and beleaguered by contaminated drinking water high illiteracy rates and limited access to quality health care Bithlo has dealt with challenges more typical of a third-world country than that of a US community this downward trend is beginning to look up Tim McKinney has been a guiding force in leading an effort to transform Bithlo into a thriving community an AdventHealth nurse who quit her job to care for her ailing parents McKinney has devoted himself to full­-time advocacy for the underserved he utilized his years of experience organizing worldwide mission and humanitarian aid efforts for a local Baptist Church to begin tackling Bithlo's biggest challenges As executive vice president of United Global Outreach (UGO) social service organizations and more than 40 partners to help solve Bithlo's overwhelming infrastructure issues AdventHealth's mission has propelled us to help restore basic needs for underserved communities in Ethiopia With our rich history of putting altruism into action we worked quickly to designate Bithlo as our first local "Footprint." We began the transformation process by helping Orange County Academy (OCA)-Bithlo's first and only private school established by UGO in 2010 - to meet the special educational needs of Bithlo's children "We were moved by the challenges the people of Bithlo faced and equally by the commitment of United Global Outreach Our goal is to simply come along side this community to support and encourage," said Brian Paradis Recent facility improvements initiated by AdventHealth will allow OCA to nearly double its current number of students Hospital volunteers also provided back-to-school physicals as well as vision and dental exams at the Bithlo Back-to-School Bash where more than 700 filled backpacks were given away "Having an organization as caring and significant as AdventHealth publicly recognize the value and possibilities of Bithlo is incredible," said McKinney making Bithlo's positive transformation possible because of AdventHealth's commitment." More plans for Bithlo are on the horizon; we plan to extend our healing ministry by interweaving our time talents and resources into transforming Bithlo into a healthy For additional information about United Global Outreach, please go to www.UGO2.org A group of UCF students have spent 18 months building an aquaponics system for the Bithlo community Student volunteers from the UCF club Engineers Without Borders designed and are building the elaborate system that will benefit the students at Orange County Academy a private school serving at-risk youth in the east Orange County community They showed off the project to the young students on Thursday explaining how it will work and how they will help operate it The aquaponics system is the latest addition to Transformation Village a cluster of facilities meant to improve the lives of the roughly 8,300 residents of Bithlo In addition to being a food desert without close access to fresh foods the largely rural community struggles with poverty a project of the nonprofit United Global Outreach has brought services that previously could not be found in Bithlo: a library computer lab and a health center that provides services on a sliding scale The aquaponics system will be the latest addition Aquaponics combines the hydroponic method of growing plants with fish farming Traditional fish farming requires the removal of waste that builds up in the water plants grow in the water – either directly or indirectly – and filter the water in the fish habitat providing a more efficient and sustainable process that doesn’t require the use of fertilizers The system designed and created by the UCF students includes five handmade fish tanks – four 125-gallon tanks and one 300-gallon tank and the water they’re swimming in flow through a container garden where tomatoes peppers and other vegetables and herbs will grow It’s expected to be completed within the next two weeks and begin sprouting its first veggies in the spring The food it will eventually provide will supplement vegetables from an existing container garden that UCF students have also been maintaining The project is designed to provide intellectual sustenance Working with administrators at Orange County Academy Engineers Without Borders is working with UCF professor Laurie Campbell to design a hands-on aquaponics curriculum that will be taught to students in Bithlo and in other schools Roughly 14 members of the group have been volunteering their time to work on the project nearly every Saturday for the past year and a half are electronic or mechanical engineering majors That’s more expensive than the typical system because of features that were included to make the system more academically engaging for Orange County Academy students including UCF’s Student Government Association a grant from the Clinton Global Initiative and support from individual contributors The project is just the latest by UCF students to benefit Bithlo which sits about eight miles from the university’s main campus College Democrats have previously teamed with College Republicans for what came to be known as “Project Bithlo.” – The Orange County Sheriff’s Office says the man involved in a shooting in Bithlo Sunday has turned himself in Deputies say Rolland Sichler turned himself into the Orange County Jail Sunday evening Sunday to the 700 block of Story Partin Road where they located a man in his 20s who had been shot He was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition at last check [TRENDING: Become a News 6 Insider] News 6 went to the scene around noon and observed a SWAT team, guns drawn, using an armored vehicle known as “The Rook” to approach a house near the intersection of Grissom and Story Partin roads The sheriff’s office had been provided information that suggested “the known suspect was inside a home,” yet no suspect was found as the house was cleared Deputies said they had a warrant to arrest Sichler Detectives are still investigating the incident Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More — In an effort to combat the affordable-housing crisis and replacing wore-out trailers Non-profit United Global Outreach has been seeking to transform Bithlo from improving transportation and rallying for healthcare clinics to now creating a prototype of a small home which could replace a worn-out trailer and provide more safety during hurricanes.  The small home is located on the campus of Transformation Village was framed up by high school and university students Lumber and other building materials were paid for by a donation 4. This as Orange County as a whole struggles to combat the affordable housing crisis, seeking solutions and drafting ideas in its Housing for All Task Force.  Leaders just approved a separate project: a dozen micro units for development along Orange Blossom Trail in Holden Heights though it will take code and policy changes to diversify the housing stock.  This website is unavailable in your location It appears you are attempting to access this website from a country outside of the United States therefore access cannot be granted at this time says he has updated plans to build affordable homes beginning in UGO’s Transformation Village in Orange County’s Bithlo community McKinney built a model of what the homes will look like but rather smaller-scale homes that are much like regular homes designed for simple so they would only cost about $50 - $60 thousand each “We designed the house so it could be assembled by volunteers but yet it still meets the building code,” said McKinney you can see here on the columns we left exposed intentionally the brackets and bolts and nuts that framed up the whole house.” A recent rental index ranking in part by Florida Atlantic University’s College of Business found the Orlando rental market is the 10th highest overvalued rental market in the country with people paying rent prices much higher than what the properties are valued at But an alternative – buying a home – can be even more difficult to afford high on drugs and at rock bottom when she stumbled into a garden at Transformation Village nearly a year and a half ago “This is kind of what saved my life,” she said Sizemore was reeling from the death of her mother but it was something her father once told her that prompted her to start cleaning the garden up 'Daddy always said weeds eat the nutrition,' so I pulled all the weeds up like this and once again Sizemore thought she’d get kicked off the property McKinney gave her a chance – some help with housing if she’d do more work with the garden "There (are) people that care I promise you because they gave me a chance to show me maybe somebody else does want me even though my momma is gone Sizemore is now renting a room at someone’s home across town but she’s still looking for a permanent home She’s staying drug-free and now has a full-time job at a metal works factory.  She dreams of the day when she might own one of the homes make me feel like I have accomplished something in the last few years,” said Sizemore McKinney is now looking for investors to help him build the first 20 homes at his village thousands could be built across Central Florida to help provide relief for so many struggling to find affordable homes “Now we need the ability to mass produce them that’s not only going to accomplish the obvious where we’ll be able to mass produce a lot of homes but we’ll be able to produce a lot of employment in communities that are otherwise lacking in quality jobs,” he said McKinney says Orange County leaders have approved his plan and a developer has worked with him to design five different floor plans for the small homes one to fit each type of lifestyle of those seeking affordable homes – The Orange County Sheriff's Office is investigating Tuesday after a woman said a driver left a car running in her driveway with two women who had overdosed inside Monday after she said the two women inside the car were barely breathing "I don't know; a car just pulled into our driveway and the guy got out and left," Eaton told dispatchers on the 911 call Heaton told News 6 she didn't think either woman would make it I didn't even know she was there until I looked back there and her eyes was wide open so I thought she was already dead," Heaton said Tuesday it really scared me and I told [dispatchers] 'You got to get here as soon as you can.'"  Orange County Fire Rescue said they were called out to the 700 block of Carpenter Road and found a woman in the front passenger seat they were not talking," said OCFR spokesperson Mike Jachles "There were multiple doses of the naloxone Whatever they had come in contact with or ingested was not responding."  Fire rescue says both women are now in critical condition at AdventHealth East Orange County sheriff's deputies says this is why they want people to stay at the scene of potential overdose cases "Give us a chance to help this person out," said Deputy Christian Marrero "You can help us with the fire department to get this person help We would like to know what that person took Deputies cite the Florida Good Samaritan Act "If you are with somebody or you believe that someone is experiencing alcohol-related or drug related overdoses and you can't be prosecuted for the possession of the illegal narcotics." "One way or another we can find evidence you were in the car and you did not seek medical help that is something we are going to look into and possibly prosecute criminally," Marrero added and want to talk to the driver who Heaton reported took off According to the Orange County Sheriff's Office there have been 131 suspected overdose deaths in the county so far in 2019 For more information or resources for drug abuse, click here Copyright 2019 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved The residents of the Neptune Community at Academic Village learned how to make a positive impact on the local community which houses the Volunteers uKnighted living learning community hosted Volunteer UCF to discuss issues facing the neighboring community of Bithlo Volunteer UCF presented Project Bithlo and educated residents about the partnership that has been created between the College Democrats and VUCF to help create an aquaporin system in Bithlo an impoverished suburban food desert of Orlando The presentation focused on educating students on the troubles facing the community residents Resident Assistant Raegan Sauer noted that the presentation was educational for residents and staff alike “The presenter had a PowerPoint with pictures of the Bithlo community She showed us a video of how to get fresh water to Bithlo,” said Sauer and educating students on the impact of the struggles in a community so close to home was eye-opening Some attendees were really interested in getting involved in the Bithlo Project movement and signed up for emails to join Volunteer UCF Under the leadership of the Neptune Community’s Area Coordinator Jeremy Foskit over 150 other social and community engagement programs have been hosted featuring activities such as: painting flower pots for residents of a local nursing home and packaging hygiene kits for Clean the World Florida Hospital will offer a day of free mammogram screenings and dental care for Bithlo residents on July 24 Both services will be provided at the Bithlo Community Center Florida Hospitals Womens Mobile Wellness and FRi-Diagnostic Imaging will provide the mammogram screenings a preventive test that checks for signs of breast cancer in women who don't have any symptoms or previous abnormal mammograms Qualifications for the screening mammograms include: Two mobile dental units will also be at the Bithlo Community Center on July 24 where children and adults can receive exams The dental units will also be in Bithlo on July 23 This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The report details a $499 million investment made in 2018 by AdventHealth in Orange Osceola and Seminole counties through charity care health research and its support of local nonprofits that are tackling important issues such as mental health “Our work in Bithlo is an example of our fundamental belief that caring for individuals’ health also means caring for the community’s health That means providing greater access to health services president and CEO of AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division “Partnering with local organizations that share our commitment to bringing care and services to those who need it most is key to achieving our goal of making our community one of the healthiest in the nation.” located less than 20 miles east of downtown Orlando Many of its 8,000 residents are still facing challenges with housing adequate transportation and access to health care Bithlo became AdventHealth’s first local health engagement project the organization has partnered with local nonprofits to help address the needs of residents AdventHealth partners with Community Health Centers (CHC) a nonprofit organization that provides health care to uninsured underinsured and underserved Central Floridians CHC has been serving Bithlo in a 1,300 square-foot modular building The unit has been operating at capacity as the only access point for family and pediatric medicine in the community The new clinic is expected to open next year and will include adult and pediatric dental services “The need for health care in this community is huge nonprofit groups step up to serve those who need it most in our communities,” said Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings “All residents of Orange County deserve to be treated with dignity and there is nothing more important to that dignity than accessible health care.” The $500,000 grant is part of the $16 million in donations AdventHealth made last year to partner organizations to improve the health of the most vulnerable communities in Central Florida “For many of us it’s hard to imagine that there are people who have to walk miles to receive primary or dental care but sadly this has been the reality for residents in Bithlo for decades,” said Margaret Brennan “The new facility will not only be in their backyard but it will also be a one-stop health center We want to thank our longtime partner AdventHealth for making this possible.” Other items detailed in AdventHealth’s annual Community Benefit Report: To view AdventHealth’s 2018 Community Benefit Report, click here yet the mystery surrounding the teen’s death lives on as his case grows cold I still can’t believe it," said his mother “My oldest son came to the house and told me Lewis is at the hospital But the events that led up to the December 2017 hit-and-run still plague those who live in the community as the question of what exactly happened to the teen hangs in the air like a cloud “I just want to know what happened to him," Georgiana said Like his mother, Lewis grew up in Bithlo, located off State Road 50 in east Orange County "Lewie," as his friends would call him would "tell it like it is" and could rattle off the name of every radio station or game he dreamed of one day being a football player And I’m going to take care of you ‘til you die,'" she recalled cremate your son or child before you die.” But even his colorful self-portrait at the age of 12, which still hangs at his former school of Orange County Academy The short blurb typed on the back of the portrait alluded to abuse the Helmicks lived without power in their trailer Small fights between Georgiana and her son led him to Titusville to stay with his father and grandmother for a time as Lewis left the community school in Bithlo “(He) lived in some tough circumstances, faced some challenges, did some bad things," said Tim McKinney, whose nonprofit United Global Outreach helps run the school Lewis's mother said that her son returned to her Bithlo home with three friends before heading to another person's home for a sleepover Investigators gathered that the crash happened around 11:30 p.m. on a dimly-lit stretch of Story Partin Road in Bithlo But it wasn't until sometime later that first responders found his body Orange County Fire Rescue transported Lewis to Florida Hospital East the case quickly turned over to Florida Highway Patrol to continue the investigation it’s basically starting from scratch," said Lt all the components there to help tell this story And that’s what our investigators are tasked with.” They later tracked down a 1997 white Chevrolet van which they believed was involved in the accident some of whom they determined to be passengers in the van with investigators unable to place a driver behind the wheel “People we’ve listed in this (incident) report were in the vehicle but again it goes back to having enough concrete evidence to say not only were you in the vehicle and having enough to make those charges," Castleberry explained Rumors began to swirl about other possible scenarios "I heard some stories about my son — that he was breaking (into) a house," Georgiana said and they took his body to the fire station and dropped him off there (there were) discussions of a bat being involved in this man’s death we consider any and all pieces of evidence," Lt But the medical examiner could not determine a link to the teen's death and bath salts being found in Lewis’s system they did not find a clear pattern injury indicating the teen had been beaten prior to being run over Lewis's cause of death was ruled vehicular homicide Florida Highway Patrol investigators had exhausted all leads noting it could only be reopened with additional information The woman said that her trailer burned down mementos and photos disappearing in a cloud of smoke Her loss was compounded by the unknowns of that night and by the location where investigators found her son's body: Lewis was born at the fire station on Story Partin Road and died there It was another hit-and-run death in Bithlo left unsolved “I was doing heroin … I felt like I had nobody," she said make sure they do everything right and make sure they don’t hang out with the wrong kids My son was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”​ Lewis's former classmates and teachers at Orange County Academy also still talk about the teen Lewis" is scribbled in yellow chalk on the outdoor blackboard there’s this moment of silence," said Andrea DiBartolomeo is super sad whenever his name is mentioned Nike slide sandals marks the spot where he died Spray painted hearts and flowers cover the asphalt "You are still loved," written in loopy cursive DiBartolomeo said that she believes purple might have been the teen's favorite color as it's the color most often grab when they draw something in his honor Lewis's story and the investigation that followed has not left his mind “That’s the son of a mother left on the side of the road to die Anytime you deal with circumstances like that “When you have that many occupants in a vehicle If you have any information on the death of Lewis Helmick and Nathan Francheschi call Florida Highway Patrol or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS The University of Central Florida aimed to donate or recycle as much as possible of several tons of unwanted items from students moving out of on-campus residence halls Items in good condition were donated today to the Bithlo-Christmas Neighborhood Center for Families “About 100 individuals showed up today to look through and take home the donated goods and they look forward to this event each spring and fall,” said Roxie Webster of Bithlo-Christmas Neighborhood Center for Families Ten families were waiting when the UCF truck arrived one hour before the center’s doors opened to clients “UCF has been a wonderful partner for many years,” Webster added UCF’s popular Student Move-Out Recycling Program happens at the end of each semester when more than 5,000 students vacate their UCF dwellings we help save the environment by keeping these items out of the waste stream and we help families in desperate need It’s a win-win for everyone,” said Brian Wormwood of UCF Facilities Operations forcing students to place all unwanted items into recycling roll-offs The roll-offs are managed by UCF contractor Gel Recycling which separates all items by recyclable materials UCF achieved a 42 percent recycling rate during this spring’s move-out period from April 21 to May 5 the move-out program is part of a university recycling program which has saved thousands of dollars in trash hauling fees in 2010 Get hyperlocal forecasts, radar and weather alerts. ORLANDO, Fla. — Three people are being hospitalized Friday night following a crash where a vehicle passed underneath a tanker truck in Bithlo, according to Orange County Fire Rescue. The crash happened on East Colonial Drive and Gloucester Street around 6:20 p.m. Fire rescue says those in the vehicle that crashed are two adults and one toddler. The toddler was sent to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children as a trauma alert, and the two adults were sent to Orlando Regional Medical Center. One of them was transported as a trauma alert. "Coming westbound, I had no traffic going towards me. A car came on the inside lane, and I didn't see it, I didn't see it at all. We had two cars stopped, one right behind each other that gave me permission to get on out. He came out of nowhere and got up underneath my trailer,” said Markus Stuard, the driver of the truck in the crash. Stuard is pleading for people on the roads to slow their speed when the streets are slick like they were Friday evening. Authorities have not announced any charges from the crash. Flash flood warning until 12:45 Tuesday morning for portions of Genesee, Livingston and Wyoming counties RadarFlorida man charged with May murder of woman in Rochesterby WHAM (WHAM) - Investigators in Florida were able to arrest a man last Friday wanted for a homicide in Rochester Rochester Police saidJonathan Ruiz-Morales Florida - located approximately 20 miles east of Orlando Ruiz-Morales is accused of killing Kirstie Slingerland, 29, at a home on Orchard Street on May 26 Investigators with the Rochester Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit flew down to Bithlo Florida on July 19 to execute a search warrant in this case Shortly afterward,Ruiz-Morales was arrested and charged with second-degree murder Police said Ruiz-Morales will be extradited to Rochester and arraigned on the murder charge the Rochester Police Department does not release mugshots to the media pursuant to an amendment to the 2020 New York state budget EAST ORANGE COUNTY | The Bunker - officially known as the Vietnam & All Veterans of Central Florida National Vietnam War Museum - may well be the best-kept secret in east Orlando Museum president Harry Scholar said that while the bulk of the museum's visitors are U.S a fair amount of visitors come from overseas The museum also has regular contact with members of Vietnamese veterans groups all of the artifacts at the museum have either been donated by veterans or are on loan from the military There's a lot of history in the museum from the region The Army medevac helicopter was used by the Orlando-based 348th "Mickey Mouse" Medical Detachment during the Vietnam War The "wounded soldier" is in the simulated medic tent that everyone goes through on their way to the public restrooms A giant stone monument at the site is the Orange County Vietnam War Memorial originally located at the Orange County Convention center A life-size statue of a dog in the same memorial garden honors Sara K9 [ Linda Charlton can be reached at 352-223-8224 – Two teens have been arrested and charged with stealing the vehicle found after the hit-and-run crash that killed a 15-year-old boy early Wednesday in Orange County on Carpenter Road near East Colonial Drive near Bithlo Troopers said Franceschi was walking in an unknown direction on Carpenter Road Troopers said the 16-year-old cousin of the victim and person of interest in his death admitted to stealing the 2013 Kia that was found damaged A man on his way home spotted the victim lying on the ground and called 911 Franceschi was taken to Florida Hospital East Troopers said a damaged 2013 four-door Kia reported stolen overnight from the same area was located at a nearby Burger King and a 16-year-old girl were arrested on allegations of stealing the car but it's not known if the Kia is connected to the hit-and-run FHP conducted forensic testing underneath the Kia on Wednesday afternoon but it is yet to be determined if the vehicle is related to the homicide FHP said that troopers took both teens to the hospital because they were under the influence of drugs Neighbors said a "bad batch of Xanax is going around" their neighborhood Investigators said they were also told that by people who live in the area Troopers also said burglaries were reported in the area around the same time but it's not known if they are related to the incident News 6 spoke with Franceschi's family who described him as a great teen His family's home is only about a mile from where he was killed A woman who identified herself as the victim's aunt said the family is collecting funds to pay for his funeral and is completely devastated by what happened  Franceschi's aunt also told News 6 that she didn't believe his cousin ran him over and instead believes a second car is involved Watch News 6 and stay with ClickOrlando.com for more on this story Copyright 2016 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved Troy graduated from California State University Northridge with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication He has reported on Mexican drug cartel violence on the El Paso/ Juarez border nuclear testing facilities at the Idaho National Laboratory and severe Winter weather in Michigan