Amanda Boshey with one of her sons in happier times.

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TOWER- A Virginia man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in Minnesota U.S. District Court in connection with the fatal hit-and-run of a Bois Forte band member and mother of five, Amanda Boshey, near the Fortune Bay Resort Casino on Dec. 17.
Federal authorities arrested Eric Scott Peterson, 50, after an investigation pinpointed Peterson’s blue Dodge Durango as the truck that likely struck and killed Boshey as she was walking on Lake Vermilion Reservation Road. Boshey was found dead with severe injuries consistent with being struck by a vehicle.
According to a criminal complaint filed Dec. 20 in U.S. District Court in Bemidji, St. Louis County dispatchers received two 911 calls reporting a woman walking along the road near the casino. A Bois Forte tribal officer who responded to the area found a pair of boots and what appeared to be vehicle debris in the roadway. The officer found Boshey laying in the snow in a ditch with no pulse and cold to the touch at 9:02 p.m.
As the incident took place within reservation boundaries, the FBI was called in to lead the investigation.
With the 911 calls of Boshey walking narrowing the window of time in which she was struck, investigators quickly homed in on Peterson after working with Fortune Bay Resort Casino staff to review surveillance footage. Petersen’s presence in the casino was established by records of the use of a player’s club card in his name that night. In the security footage, a blue Dodge Durango registered to Peterson was seen leaving the casino at approximately 8:49 p.m. The vehicle appeared fully operational at the time, with both headlights functioning. However, footage recorded five minutes later at the nearby Y-Store showed the same vehicle with a damaged passenger-side headlight.
Evidence recovered at the scene included blue paint fragments and pieces of a headlight assembly. This debris was consistent with damage observed on Peterson’s vehicle when officers visited his Virginia residence. The blue Dodge Durango parked in his driveway had a broken passenger-side headlight, dents, and damage to the front bumper, hood, and quarter panel. A missing piece of molding from the vehicle’s wheel well was also linked to debris found at the crash site.
Peterson told law enforcement that he had consumed three to four drinks at the casino before leaving around 8:30 p.m. He claimed he believed he hit a deer on his way home but did not stop to confirm what he struck. A preliminary breath test conducted at 4:30 a.m. on Dec. 18, approximately seven-and-a-half hours after the incident, showed Peterson’s blood alcohol content to be 0.048 at that time.
An autopsy performed by the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office determined Boshey died from “multiple blunt force injuries.” Blue paint fragments and metal debris were recovered from her body and clothing during the examination, further tying the vehicle to the fatal collision.
Peterson made his first court appearance on Dec. 23 via video conference. He was released on a personal recognizance bond.
Bois Forte Tribal Council member Shane Drift indicated Monday morning that he had asked the tribal council to consider asking the state of Minnesota to also file charges against Peterson. Federal authorities continue to oversee the case due to the location of the crash on tribal land.
Boshey’s family described her as a dedicated mother and a laborer in the construction industry. She was nearing three years of sobriety and was remembered for her resilience and love for her children. A fund for her children has been established with the Embarrass Vermillion Federal Credit Union.