Ottawa police call on fatal hit-and-run driver 'to do the right thing'

The Ottawa Police Service released this photo of a suspect vehicle, a dark-coloured Ford Escape, in connection with a collision that killed a 21-year-old motorcyclist on Oct. 2. Photo by Ottawa Police Service /HANDOUT

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Ottawa police are imploring the driver of a dark-coloured Ford Escape with front-end damage to come forward in the investigation of a fatal hit-and-run collision on Oct. 2.

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“It’s not too late to do the right thing,” Const. Fern John-Simon advised in a two-minute video posted to Ottawa Police Service social-media accounts on Oct. 21. “Seek legal advice and turn yourself in.”

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The pre-dawn crash killed a 21-year-old motorcyclist near the intersection of Merivale and Hunt Club roads. Although police have not identified the victim’s name to maintain the family’s privacy, they said she was a Carleton University biology student.

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The OPS video said the woman was working towards her dream of attending medical school and had found the love of her life. There was also a statement from her grieving parents.

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“We are devastated by the loss of our only child, who was our everything,” the parents wrote. “Each day we wake up and have to live through her tragic and horrific death again. Each day we have to live in a world without our beautiful daughter.”

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Investigators have determined that the dark-coloured Ford Escape would have been damaged on the passenger side of the front end, on the fog light below the headlight.

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“Maybe you’ve seen this vehicle,” John-Simon added in the video. “Maybe someone you know has unexplained damage to their SUV. Or maybe you have dash cam footage from that morning.”

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Police also want to speak to the driver of a red pickup truck that was near the collision site. They say this witness is not a suspect, but may have information that could assist the investigation.

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Other motorists who may have been in the area, as well as residents and businesses of the area near the Merivale-Hunt Club intersection, are asked to review their dashcam, surveillance or doorbell camera video from the time of the collision.

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Anyone with information about the fatal collision was asked to contact the Ottawa Police Service Fatal Collision Investigation Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 2345.

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Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or online at crimestoppers.ca.

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The investigation continues.

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