After pedestrian dies, State Patrol ‘urging the public to help the family get closure’
Nearly three weeks after an Oct. 4 hit-and-run collision at the Custer rest area along Interstate 5, the 68-year-old pedestrian who was struck by an unidentified vehicle has died, the Washington State Patrol said Thursday evening.
Cynthia L. Stitt of Marysville was standing in the parking lot of the rest area along southbound I-5 at approximately 3:29 p.m. Oct. 4, when she was hit by a car that left the scene.
Stitt was taken and admitted to St. Joseph’s hospital and was listed in critical condition, hospital spokesperson Bev Mayhew told The Bellingham Herald on Oct. 7.
“Our hearts go out to the family,” Washington State Trooper Heather Axtman told The Bellingham Herald Friday, Oct. 25. “It was heart breaking when she was injured, because this was preventable. Now that she’s lost her life, we all take it a little more emotionally, but it doesn’t change our investigation. We’re still amped up, looking for answers and asking for the public’s help.”
However, Axtman said not much progress has been made in locating the vehicle that hit Stitt, why it sped off or what happened before she was hit.
A State Patrol press release Oct. 6, said detectives believe that the car involved is a red or orange four-door, described possibly as a Chrysler 300 or Dodge Charger. After hitting Stitt, the car reportedly drove southbound on I-5.
The release said detectives are seeking anyone who may have witnessed the incident, know what happened shortly before or after it or might know where the car that was involved may be located. Witnesses are encouraged to contact detective Dan Comnick at 360-757-2008 or Daniel.comnick@wsp.wa.gov.
Axtman extended that invitation to anyone who might have been driving southbound on I-5 near the time of the incident who has a dash camera to locate the footage and forward it to detectives.
“They could have captured a critical piece of information and not even know it,” Axtman said.
Axtman said Stitt’s death means that charges once the State Patrol identifies a subject change from hit-and-run vehicular assault to hit-and-run vehicular homicide, but the main focus of the investigation is to get closure for Stitt’s family.
“Sadly, the family doesn’t have that piece of the puzzle closed yet,” Axtman told The Herald. “That’ why we’re urging the public to help the family get closure.”
The spelling of hospital spokesperson Bev Mayhew’s name was updated Jan. 23, 2020.
This story was originally published October 25, 2019 at 7:47 AM.
