A mother of seven was struck by her boyfriend’s pickup truck, and he now faces two charges in Cherokee Nation court.

COLLINSVILLE, Okla. — What began as an effort to divide belongings between a couple ended with a 37-year-old mother fatally injured beneath a pickup truck in a QuikTrip parking lot, according to police and court records. Tyler Dale Kendrick, 39, has pleaded not guilty to charges arising from the July 3 death of Amber Rena Lee, who was also known as Amber Pippin.

The case has moved from an initial Collinsville police investigation into Cherokee Nation court, where Kendrick is charged with first-degree manslaughter by automobile and leaving the scene of a fatality collision. He appeared in tribal court in late July and entered a not-guilty plea, according to a local report that cited court records. His next hearing was scheduled for Aug. 20. The charges are accusations, and Kendrick is presumed innocent unless he is convicted. Police said Lee and Kendrick had been in a dating relationship and were separating their property. Collinsville Police Chief Matt Burke told People that a friend drove Lee to Kendrick’s home so she could return belongings. The friend then took Lee back to the QuikTrip near U.S. 75 and Oklahoma Highway 20, where Lee had left her own vehicle. Kendrick was already at the store when the two women arrived, Burke said.

A disagreement began after Kendrick allegedly said Lee still had something that belonged to him, according to Burke’s account. The conversation intensified, and Lee’s friend tried to intervene. Police allege Kendrick then moved his dual-rear-wheel pickup truck while Lee was close to it. Burke said investigators believed the truck struck Lee as Kendrick backed away and that she was pulled beneath its rear tires. The chief said investigators did not initially believe Kendrick had set out to hurt Lee. Police instead described the death as the result of negligent conduct during an emotional confrontation. That distinction helped shape the manslaughter allegation rather than an accusation that the collision was a planned killing. The final determination of criminal responsibility will be made through the court process, not through the early statements released by investigators.

Lee was taken from the parking lot to a hospital but died from her injuries. Shortly after the incident, police said the investigation remained active and that a suspect had been taken into custody. Burke later said officials were awaiting a medical examiner’s findings. He told People that investigators suspected a serious leg wound may have damaged an artery, but that preliminary belief was not a substitute for a final medical ruling.

Kendrick allegedly left the QuikTrip after Lee was struck. Police later found him in Owasso, a city south of Collinsville, after using traffic-camera information and a police drone, according to reports based on information from investigators. He was arrested the same day. Early reports said he was booked on one count of manslaughter and one count of leaving the scene of a fatality and was held under the authority of the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service.

The location of the prosecution reflects the involvement of Cherokee Nation authorities. Police said Kendrick is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and the later charges were filed in the tribe’s court. The public reports reviewed for this article did not provide the complete charging documents, a detailed defense response or a full account of the evidence prosecutors intend to present. They also did not identify an attorney speaking publicly for Kendrick.

Lee’s family has said the events in the parking lot followed a broader attempt to end a difficult relationship. Her mother, Dena Schnorrenberg, told KTUL that Lee had moved out and was trying to separate from Kendrick. Schnorrenberg described the relationship as unhealthy and said her daughter had spoken with relatives about what she was experiencing. Those claims reflect the family’s account and have not been tested in court.

The family’s description adds context to the property exchange that brought Lee and Kendrick into contact on July 3. Relatives said Lee had support from people close to her but was still drawn back into a final interaction over belongings. Police have not released a complete timeline showing how long the exchange lasted, how the argument began or what was said immediately before the truck moved. No publicly available report reviewed for this article included surveillance video, a complete witness statement or a reconstruction of the vehicle’s path.

Early coverage focused on the collision and arrest, but Lee’s relatives have since tried to shift attention toward the life she lived. Schnorrenberg described her daughter as a nurturing, creative and loyal woman who worked as a nurse. She said Lee’s children were at the center of her life and that Lee had a particularly close relationship with her oldest daughter.

Lee was the mother of seven children whose ages ranged from 3 to 18, according to police and family accounts. Her mother said losing her first child also meant losing her best friend. The family has emphasized that Lee should be remembered as a parent, daughter, health care worker and friend, rather than only as the victim in a criminal case.

That effort to preserve Lee’s identity beyond the final moments of her life has become a central part of the family’s public response. Relatives have spoken about her humor, artistic interests and loyalty while preparing to attend Kendrick’s court proceedings. Their comments also show the long reach of the case: Seven children lost their mother, a family entered a period of grief, and a man who had been part of Lee’s life became a criminal defendant.

Burke used the incident to warn about the consequences of acting carelessly during a heated confrontation. He said people must remain aware of others and of the space around a moving vehicle. His comments did not resolve the legal questions in the case, but they reflected the investigators’ early view that the fatal outcome emerged from a rapidly escalating argument rather than a clearly documented plan to kill.

The exact mental state attributed to Kendrick will be important as the case proceeds. A manslaughter prosecution generally depends on proving the elements listed in the charged offense, while the separate allegation that he left the scene concerns what authorities say happened after Lee was struck. The available reports do not say whether Kendrick knew the full extent of Lee’s injuries when he drove away or what explanation, if any, he later gave police. Other important questions also remain unanswered publicly. Authorities have not released the final medical examiner’s report, the complete contents of any surveillance recording or the friend’s full account. It is also unclear whether prosecutors will seek additional charges, amend the existing counts or maintain the case in its current form. A scheduled hearing can be changed, and court records remain the controlling source for future dates.

The case is now proceeding in Cherokee Nation court, where Kendrick has pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter by automobile and leaving the scene of a fatality collision. Lee’s family has said it plans to follow the proceedings while continuing to tell her story. As of Aug. 2, no conviction had been reported, and the allegations against Kendrick remained unresolved.

Author note: Last updated August 2, 2026.