Last July, Leroy Lynch was found dead on the side of Peele Road in Rocky Mount. Authorities said he had been riding his bicycle down the rural road when he was hit.
Investigators found the car they believe hit Lynch and questioned two men. Their alibis checked out, but investigators wanted to check with the car's owner, Manuel DeJesus Cruz.
More than a year later, they still have not found Cruz. No one has been arrested and no suspect has been named in the hit-and-run. Police have said they hope Cruz can help them with the case.
"I thought it would be solved by now," said Lynch's niece, Tetasha Pittman. "If you have a car and you have a person driving the car, what else do you need?"
Investigators believe Cruz may be in Mexico and ask that anyone with information about his whereabouts or about the accident to call
252-977-1111
.
"Right now, we don't have any closure, and there is hurt, and there is hate there," Pittman said.
Lynch's sister, Joan Richardson, said she believes someone in the area knows what happened.
"I think they need to put themselves in our shoes, and they would see how it feels," Richardson said. "If they had just made a phone call, maybe he would be living today."
The family still hopes someone will come forward with information about Lynch's death. They refuse to let justice slip away with time.
"We're not going to stop," Pittman said.
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