Deputies locate truck believed used in fatal hit-and-run
NORTH BEND, Wash. -- Investigators have found a truck they believe was used in a fatal hit-and-run crash in North Bend.
A white Ford F-150 pickup truck that was missing its right-front headlight was located Wednesday in the North Bend area around 4:30 p.m., tweeted Sgt. Cindi West with the King County Sheriff's Office. West did not provide any further details on how the truck was found or where exactly it was located.
The driver remains on the loose.
Earlier in the day, West said investigators had recovered a right headlight and turn signal light that had been left behind at Tuesday's crash scene near 394 Place SE north of North Bend Way. Investigators were able to confirm the debris came from a late 1980s or early 1990s Ford Bronco or F150 truck.
The victim was a Snoqualmie Valley woman in her 50s, who had been in a car with a group of people who left the Snoqualmie Casino at about 3 a.m.
West said the group got into an argument and stopped near 394 Place SE north of North Bend Way, where the woman and the driver got out of the car and walked off in different directions.
The driver eventually went back to the car and the group drove around looking for the woman. Police found the woman's body a short time later in a ditch near in the 10200 block of 394 Place SE. She has not been identified.
Anyone with information is asked to call the King County Sheriff's Office at 206-296-3311.
A white Ford F-150 pickup truck that was missing its right-front headlight was located Wednesday in the North Bend area around 4:30 p.m., tweeted Sgt. Cindi West with the King County Sheriff's Office. West did not provide any further details on how the truck was found or where exactly it was located.
The driver remains on the loose.
Earlier in the day, West said investigators had recovered a right headlight and turn signal light that had been left behind at Tuesday's crash scene near 394 Place SE north of North Bend Way. Investigators were able to confirm the debris came from a late 1980s or early 1990s Ford Bronco or F150 truck.
The victim was a Snoqualmie Valley woman in her 50s, who had been in a car with a group of people who left the Snoqualmie Casino at about 3 a.m.
West said the group got into an argument and stopped near 394 Place SE north of North Bend Way, where the woman and the driver got out of the car and walked off in different directions.
The driver eventually went back to the car and the group drove around looking for the woman. Police found the woman's body a short time later in a ditch near in the 10200 block of 394 Place SE. She has not been identified.
Anyone with information is asked to call the King County Sheriff's Office at 206-296-3311.
I hear the person of interest is ~18 and left a party New Years Eve and several other party goers tried to stop him. His parents are local business owners and well off and I'm sure will try to "buy" the best lawyer money can buy. What a shame...two lives lost because of alcohol related circumstances. Tragedy all the way around. My sincere condolences to both families for two lives lost.
Why are some folks assuming the driver is from Mexico is there a large Mexican population in North Bend?
Maybe they will catch the guy when he tries to cross into Mexico. Rest assured our government is on it.
@Telman@ - ah, so you have proof or are you just spewing bigoted comments? We regularly see lots of good ol' white boys (and girls) doing this very thing - so the only 'proof' you would have at this point is your wish to spew bigoted comments...
Â
Â
@FormerMarineSgt Evidently bigoted people were able to choose their birth parents. I did not get the chance to choose my parents so I treat all people with the same dignity and respect I was raised with. The phrase "birth right" never made sense to me.
We don't know if the driver was drunk. The lady that died could have stepped out in front of the truck, there are plenty of accidents like this that turn out not to be the drivers fault. The police have to investigate. And I agree that any law abiding driver would have called 911 when it happened. But sometimes people act out of fear, which makes them look more guilty. Of course, I think it was some drunken dirtbag, but you never know.
that boys in mexico by now
@Harrison.................. you mean back home?
 @bagsofdirt Si Señor!
@Harrison @bagsofdirt - you clowns do realize that good ol white boys are just as likely to have done this, right?
Â
But then, to the closed mind, I guess there's only one possible conclusion...
Are they sure they have the correct truck? The hood on this truck looks to have already hit something prior based on the rust along the buckling part. Likely the headlight cover was busted off during the first time they smashed their truck.Â
@PrairieDawn I'm a metallurgical engineer, don't you realize just how wet (corrosive) the NW is?
If you look close you can see fresh areas of damage. It appears there was prior damage that is now rusted. Look up to right a little above the long horizontal rust streak. Fresh metal it looks like....
This person was a very loved person of our community! I've known this person since I was a young child and has had such a wonderful impact on all those around them. I can say was it was an honor knowing you and having you in my life! Rest in peace my friend!
Â
And to the driver of the vehicle at large....Do the right thing and turn yourself in before the police track you down...At least have that much courage to fess up for your crime.
They should show the license plate in the photo and give the name of the registered owner. Don't you think that might generate more leads as to who the driver might be? Only reason I can think why they did NOT do that is because they have already contacted the registered owner and he/she was fully cleared of wrongdoing?
Any other theories, people?Â
@KH I'm goign to take a guess and say the vehicle was most likely stolen, which is why they're not releasing the name of the registered owner (if it has current registration)
@SilverGryphon ....most often, drunks, dirtbags who do stupid things with their vehicles abandon them, go home to bed and play stupid or report it stolen the following day. It will take an eyewitness to place that driver in the seat at the time of the wreck. They'll be looking at store surveillance tapes, cell calls etc. and use that to force a confession.....unless there's an eyewitness......Â
I agree with Throbbinhood. Why can't the police say if they are looking for the owner or not? If they say they'd "like to talk to the owner of this truck" is not slander.
@Say What My guess is that they have the guy, but need to confirm his story......before releasing his name. Naming the wrong person can get them sued.
KOMO's original article stated that a left headlight was recovered:Â
Â
"West said detectives searching the scene found pieces of a left front headlight from a full-size pickup truck. Another neighbor said she saw a diesel pickup going up and down the street at 3 a.m."
Â
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Woman-killed-by-hit-and-run-driver-near-North-Bend-185367332.html
Â
And then this article says:
Â
"West said investigators had recovered a right headlight and turn signal light that had been left behind at Tuesday's crash scene..."
Â
Â
Strange.Â
 @lakeview I learned a LONG time ago to ALWAYS check the Time Stamp at the top of a KOMO article - they are changed/updated throughout the Day.
Â
Sometimes hourly.. :)
 @_Monte_  @lakeview Useful tip. This is not a news site, this is a news blog. I guess the rules are different.
In journalism, usually you issue a correction such as, "an earlier article incorrectly..." rather than just change the story. Notice that both versions are attributed to "West."Â
That was mighty fast police work in finding this truck which is rather unusual for northwest law enforcement..
North Bend is a small community where it's harder to hide.
@NW_Racer Unless you build your own murder bunker in the woods to hideout for years
Now if only they can find the driver and put them behind bars, where they belong!
I cannot keep track which fatal hit and run they are referring to because there have been so many Pretty pathetic
The driver should be running to the Sheriffs for protection. Now that the truck is pictured it's just a matter of time before the locals get him for what happened to our friend. The woman was very well liked by many in the community, and the safest place for the driver would be in Sheriffs custody right now.
Bet that petty argument wasn't worth the cost.
@SoTweetie Thinking the same thing.Seriously,being in their 50's(if the others are to,give or take a few years)If you can't go out without causing high school drama and drinking irresponsible,then keep yourself home.I hope the group that stayed in the car,I hope your proud of yourself.R.I.P. to the victim.
 @2ndstartothenorth GAWD it is painful to read your posts. First, your grammar is like a 1st grader. Second, you are an ignoramous!!
Are you two seriously judging the victim and her friends? Maybe they got out of the car to cool off and AVOID some drama.
@1opine This is America the land of blame the victim.
Somehow I had expected more damage to the vehicle after hitting a person. Hopefully the driver can be located soon. My sincere condolences to the family & friends (especially the ones who were with her that night) of the victim.
 @katiemcc It is possible that the victim would have survived if she did not get hit by a full size truck. Newer cars  have crumple zones and soft hoods/bonnets to better absorb impact. They also have lower bumpers and leading edge profiles to push the pedestrian up onto the hood/bonnet and windshield/windscreen of the car, spreading out the force of the impact. This truck has none of these safety improvements (nor do most newer trucks, most likely).Â
@KH @katiemcc - those safety improvements are designed to keep the occupants of the vehicle safe, not something that the idiot driver runs into (unfortunately).
@katiemcc Not when its an old Ford like that one. In my opinion, older trucks like that one can withstand more force with less damage than vehicles nowadays.
Â
My condolences as well.
Yup..some drunk local yokal taking the back roads because he was too plowed to use the main roads. The crystal ball shows a vehicular homicide charge in some losers near future. We should just toss him in the back of his truck and send it over the falls.
@Ankle Biter Let's just hope justice can make some charges stick...
Don't see any reason whatsoever why the authorities can't at least state if they believe the registered owner was likely the driver.
 @Throbbinhood How could they make that assumption?  Who is to say that they didn't loan the vehicle to someone that night?  The "registered owner" is only a legal definition in regards to tax and licensing purposes. Â
Fingerprints. If all they find are the owners, oh well.
Whoa - way over the top there.... Without jumping to conclusions (key word - "believe"), they can perfectly well state that if for some reason they have knowledge the owner is kind of unusually hard to find right now, which I believe it's a pretty good possibility they do have that knowledge - they can state that. If that's not the case - then they can state that as well.Â
My ***ONLY*** point here is (without having someone put words in my mouth) is that authorities could have disclosed more without jeopardizing a thing.Â
@Throbbinhood They have to hold back info to help prove who did or didn't do what. They will release as much as they can to help locate the persons of interest.
I have to wonder if the victim got in a argument with the driver of the car she was traveling in because that driver was drunk only to get out and get hit by another drunk driver.
 @Ankle Biter That was my thought, too - in any event, *way* too many drunk drivers out there
We must NAIL all hit and runs,it's too often these days !
 @scychan If refusing the Breathalyzer is an automatic one-year license suspension, hit and run should be five years automatic, since 98 percent of those are drunken cowards waiting to sober up.Â
This comment has been deleted
 @LiveFreeOrDie Yeah, because only illegal aliens drive drunk and hit people, while Americans on the other hand, walk into schools and shoot many innocent people.Â
Â
Try making a smarter comment next time.Â
@WAREZ2012 @LiveFreeOrDie - some people (and not just the one who made the now deleted comment) are just plain bigoted, racist or stupid. They mold the world to fit thier prejudices and therefore only a member of a particular group could have done this - regardless of the fact that it's just as likely (if not more so) that a good ol' white boy did it.Â
Â
What I think (as unfounded and idea as the idiots who blame one group for this), is that the writer of one of the comments like that are most likely the one that did it, and they are trying to throw the cops off the scent by making false accusations.
Â
Now of course I have no actual proof of my theory, but it's as factually based as those who are blaming it on mexicans, illegal immigrants and so on.
 @LiveFreeOrDie I have a strong feeling that this was done by a left-handed albino clarinetist. And my feeling has just as many facts behind it as your does.
 @MVDad , "...And my feeling has just as many facts behind it as your does."
Â
Truncheon cites an article where LFOD's theory had a basis in reality. Based on your above comment, I can assume you can post a link to an article where a "left-handed albino clarinetist" did something similar?
 @StringerJoe Just because a cyclist in Seattle was struck by an illegal alien, that makes it a 'basis in reality' that an illegal alien struck a pedestrian in the middle of the night 40 miles away? That is officially what we call "a reach".
 @MVDad  @LiveFreeOrDie Why does it have to be a left handed albino clarinetist ? Are you saying right handed albino clarinetists aren't stupid enough to drink and drive ? That's probably why they took off ,so the alcohol would get out of their system. it could have been a trombone player.  Unfortunately ,they are in far worse trouble now than if they had just taken the dui.
@LiveFreeOrDie Why does it have to be an illegal alien? Are you telling me that american citizens aren't stupid enough to drink and drive? That's probably why they took off, so the alcohol would get out of their system. It could even have been a teenager. Unfortunately, they are in way worse trouble now than if they had just taken the dui.
 @LiveFreeOrDie Like the other deadly hit-and-run in Seattle last summer?
Â
http://mynorthwest.com/11/690220/Suspect-in-Seattle-fatal-hit-and-run-of-bicyclist-is-illegal-alien
Â
Well, who knows. Prayers to the victim. May the culprit be found soon.