Identity released of pedestrian killed on Ga. 247 South

A purse strewn down Hawkinsville Road led to the identity of a woman who was hit and killed early Tuesday morning on southbound Ga. 247 in Bibb County.

Amanda Phaye Burton, 29, of Lorain, Ohio, was pronounced dead at the scene after she was hit by at least two vehicles shortly after 6:15 a.m., said Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones.

Both drivers waited in the median as investigators detailed the evidence from the accident while Burton's body lay in the median of the busy highway.

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Samuel Callaway Jr., 51, of Macon, said he was driving in the inside lane in his white 1996 Dodge Dakota pickup and tried to avoid hitting the woman crossing near McMillan Drive.

“It was extremely dark. I don’t how she ended up out in front of all these cars, all these headlights. That’s what I don’t understand,” a troubled Callaway said after the accident.

“I’m just sick.”

The 53-year-old driver of a 2001 Ford Mustang, who ran over the woman, said he initially thought he had hit something that came off Callaway’s truck, but said he had a gnawing feeling that made him turn around and come back.

His fears were confirmed when he saw Burton’s body on the pavement.

The men said traffic was so heavy that they don’t think they were the only ones to hit Burton.

Shoes, clothing and photographs were scattered on the pavement.

It wasn't until after daylight that investigators found her purse and retrieved identification.

Jones is asking anyone who knew Burton to call him at 478-256-6716 or the Bibb Coroner's Office at 478-621-6314.

For more on this story, come back to macon.com and read Wednesday's Telegraph.

This story was originally published March 29, 2016 at 7:19 AM with the headline "Identity released of pedestrian killed on Ga. 247 South ."