INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla. — The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office is mourning the death of one of its newest team members after 20-year-old Cassi Taylor was killed in a chain-reaction crash on Interstate 95 in Brevard County.

Taylor, of Palm Bay, joined the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office on July 20 as a Civilian Corrections Assistant. She was scheduled to be officially sworn in Monday, Aug. 31 — just hours after the crash that claimed her life.

Taylor was also the daughter of Indian River County Deputy Scott Burke, whom the Sheriff’s Office said many residents may know through community events.

“We are saddened to share the news of the death of one of our newest team members,” the Sheriff’s Office said in announcing Taylor’s death.

The agency asked the community to keep Burke and Taylor’s entire family in their prayers.

Crash Began With Alligator on I-95

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the crash happened at approximately 11:52 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 30, in the southbound lanes of I-95 near mile marker 214 in the Titusville area.

Troopers said a 58-year-old man from Canada was driving a Mercedes-Benz E-350 southbound when he encountered an alligator in the roadway. The driver was unable to avoid the animal and struck it. He was not injured and remained at the scene.

Taylor was traveling behind the Mercedes in a Toyota Tacoma. FHP said she swerved in an attempt to avoid the vehicle ahead of her, lost control and overturned.

According to the FHP crash report, Taylor was not wearing a seat belt. She was ejected from the Tacoma and came to rest in the center lane of the interstate.

An unidentified southbound vehicle then struck Taylor and left the scene, according to troopers. Taylor was pronounced dead at the crash site.

FHP Searching for Driver Who Left the Scene

Florida Highway Patrol investigators continue to search for the driver who struck Taylor and fled. Authorities have not publicly released a description of the vehicle.

Anyone with information about the crash or the vehicle that left the scene is asked to contact FHP by dialing *347 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS (8477).

The investigation remains ongoing.

A Career Just Beginning

Taylor had been with the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office for only a little more than a month and was preparing to mark another milestone in her new career with her official swearing-in.

Family members described Taylor as an “amazing young lady with a heart of pure gold.” A fundraiser established to help the family with funeral and cremation expenses stopped accepting donations after supporters surpassed the family’s goal.

For Indian River County, Taylor’s death is more than the story of an unusual and tragic crash on I-95. It is the loss of a young woman who had just joined the local law-enforcement community and was preparing to formally begin a new chapter of her life.

The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office is asking the community to keep Taylor’s family, friends and colleagues in their prayers.

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