Suspect found, but dead

Photo: Google Street View

Kamloops RCMP have identified a suspect involved in a fatal hit and run last fall – but he's dead, too.

A 48-year-old man was struck and killed on Seymour Street in the wee hours of Oct. 20, and the vehicle fled the scene.

Police investigators eventually identified and seized a suspect vehicle in November, and DNA evidence linked it positively to the hit and run.  

RCMP believe the registered owner, a 75-year-old Kamloops man, was the driver in the collision, and they were in the process of moving the investigation forward when it was learned that he had died.

As such, the file will be concluded, says Cpl. Jodi Shelkie.

“This file is an example of the depth of an investigation that police engage in,” said Shelkie. “Fragmented pieces of the suspect vehicle at the scene and surveillance video from different locations helped identify the model of the suspect vehicle and eliminate makes of other vehicles in the area.  

"Once the vehicle’s make and model was known, a police officer on patrol saw the vehicle. From there, a search warrant was obtained to seize the vehicle and have it forensically analyzed to positively place it at the scene of the hit and run. All of these investigation steps take time and expertise to come to a successful conclusion.”