Man charged in fatal Old Saybrook accident missing

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OLD SAYBROOK >> Old Saybrook police say a 43-year-old local man charged with driving under the influence in an accident that killed his girlfriend has gone missing.

Police told The Day of New London that they’re looking for John Shepard and believe he has left the state. He was charged with DUI after the July 2013 accident that killed 49-year-old Leah Coleman of Old Saybrook, and police are now trying to serve a warrant charging him with manslaughter.

Shepard’s lawyer, former Chief State’s Attorney Christopher Morano, declined to comment on his client’s whereabouts or the manslaughter charge.

Police say Shepard was driving a Jeep off-road and Coleman was a passenger when it rolled over near his home. Authorities say Coleman, a mother of two, wasn’t wearing a seat belt.