A Middletown, Ohio, woman lost her life Sunday night after she was struck in the leg with a machete while riding on the back of a motorcycle in Camden, Ohio, according to the Preble County Sheriff’s Office. The victim, identified as 41-year-old Leigha Huff, was a passenger on a motorcycle traveling along Upper Somers Road toward Eaton when the incident occurred.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the motorcycle driver reported that as they approached a driveway in the 7700 block of Upper Somers Road, someone suddenly struck Huff with an unknown object. The driver told deputies that Huff began bleeding heavily from her right leg after the impact.
Panicked, he drove to a friend’s residence in the 3700 block of Aukerman Creek Road, where he immediately called 911. Emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene at 10:32 p.m. on a report of a woman suffering from a severe leg laceration.
Despite the efforts of first responders, Huff was later pronounced dead. Investigators soon uncovered new details about the moments leading up to the fatal incident. The Preble County Dispatch Center had received a non-emergency call at 10:27 p.m.—just five minutes before the 911 call—reporting suspicious activity at the same location where the assault occurred.
The caller, a woman residing at the property on Upper Somers Road, told dispatchers that her ex-boyfriend had been riding a motorcycle up and down the road, trying to lure her outside. She also mentioned that her father was outside at the time. Further investigation revealed that as Huff and her companion passed the driveway, a man allegedly threw a machete toward them.
The weapon struck Huff in the leg, causing the critical injury that led to her death. Authorities have identified the suspect as 59-year-old Kenneth Brabant, the father of the woman who made the earlier call to dispatchers. Brabant is now accused of hurling the machete at the motorcycle, fatally wounding Huff.
The Preble County Sheriff’s Office has not yet announced formal charges but continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. No additional injuries were reported, and the driver of the motorcycle has been cooperating with law enforcement.
As the investigation develops, community members are left shocked by the sudden and violent nature of the tragedy that claimed the life of Leigha Huff.