Dad who crashed into woods while fleeing police in uninsured car found dead hours later
Jeremiah Hines, 23, died after crashing his car into a wooded area at night while being chased by police, who believe he was using the vehicle without insurance
A father tragically died in a car crash during a police chase, just hours after the search for him was called off.
Jeremiah Hines had only left his Ilkeston home to pick up some snacks from Tesco for a film night on the evening of September 22 when the accident happened. The next morning, the 23-year-old's body was found by a dog walker on a path at Shipley Country Park.
Over a month later, questions still remain about the circumstances surrounding his death, which is currently under investigation by Derbyshire Constabulary. The impact of his death has been devastating, particularly for his girlfriend Sophie Scott, their 15-month-old son Daenerys and their unborn second child.
"It's just crazy that he's gone," said Ms Scott. "That one chase has changed two babies' lives and my life forever." Sophie, 24, believes the police failed in their duty when searching for Mr Hines after he fled into the woodland following the crash on Church Street, reports Nottinghamshire Live. Officers had been chasing him after noticing his Mercedes was uninsured and searched the area for around an hour and a half using a drone and a dog unit, according to a letter received by Ms Scott.
Detective Constable Danielle Pimborough stated that it seemed Mr Hines may have died just a few hours after the search, which was "potentially hindered" due to the time of night. Ms Scott has questioned the duration and thoroughness of the search, claiming that the police could have saved her boyfriend.
"It breaks my heart knowing that he would've been there all night on his own," she said. "That just makes it worse. He could've been saved and had been sat there in pain."
Mr Hines was discovered just a short distance from where the vehicle was located, said Ms Scott, who believes he couldn't have travelled far following the collision. "If he had hid he would have rang me. He knew I was pregnant and had a kid at home," she said.
"He would have told me to come and get him. It doesn't make sense. I don't get how they didn't find him. They would've known he had a serious injury."
Ms Scott, who is 17 weeks pregnant, didn't discover her partner's death until the early hours of September 23 - more than 24 hours after he departed the house. "I thought maybe he'd been arrested," she said, before remembering a "dreadful" phone call from Mr Hine's mum who was "screaming down the phone."
"I said 'what the hell is going on?' I'd never even spoken to her before." Mr Hine's cause of death has yet to be determined.
Nevertheless, Ms Scott said her partner was discovered with a fractured nose and teeth, along with cuts and bruises. She said examinations also revealed he had sustained trauma to the brain.
Ms Scott believes alleged previous mistreatment of Mr Hines, originally from Wollaton, by the authorities contributed to his decision to escape the chasing police officers on the night of his death. He served a three-year prison sentence for drug-related offences committed at the age of 17, but managed to "turn his life around" afterwards.
He moved in with Ms Scott to start a family and was set to begin work as a railway engineer. Ms Scott revealed that Mr Hines had recently spent eight months in jail after an incorrect prison recall, a decision a magistrate labelled as "inappropriate".
"He was someone who grew up and went down the wrong path, came out and just wanted to start a family," she said. "He was a protector and a provider. He was the perfect dad and partner. He was funny and played pranks on me. He was lovely.
"He was a big character who made everyone laugh all the time. All of this just because of a police chase. All because police didn't do their job properly."
A spokesperson for Derbyshire Police stated: "The investigation into the death of Jeremiah Hines on 23 September 2025 was referred to the IOPC. The IOPC have now passed this back to the force for a local investigation to take place. This investigation is ongoing, and the family of Jeremiah have been informed."
An IOPC spokesperson added: "On 23 September we were notified by Derbyshire Constabulary about the death of a man at Shipley Country Park. This was believed to be linked to an incident involving a police pursuit in the Ilkeston area the previous evening.
"Following analysis of a subsequent referral from the force we decided a local investigation was required and that it was suitable for that to be carried out by Derbyshire Constabulary. In cases where a death or serious injury referral is returned for local investigation, forces are required to make a new referral to us should they identify any indication of misconduct."