It has been 10 years since a driver hit and killed a Pearl River, Louisiana couple’s son. The driver who committed the accident and wrongful death has never come forward, and investigators do not believe that they will ever be able to arrest anyone for the incident because of a lack of evidence. The young man’s death was ruled an accident but his parents believe the teenager was murdered.
The 18-year-old boy was riding his bike home after visiting his aunt’s house on the night of January 23, 2000. On his way home, the young man rode his bike on the side of Lakeshore Road and was hit and killed by a driver that never pulled over. The next day police found a car that was hidden in the woods. The car had bicycle tire marks that were consistent with the tire marks from the teenager’s bike. Investigators even interviewed the owner of the car, but did not have enough evidence for an arrest.
The chief investigator, who took over the case five years after the hit-and-run occurred, believes they have the suspect but still do not have enough evidence to go to court. Over 50 people have been interviewed in the investigation, and the Louisiana State Crime Lab has worked with police to test evidence. The Cold Case Unit of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has also looked at the case to no avail. Luckily, the Mississippi Cold Case Unit had the case file when Hurricane Katrina otherwise the case record would probably have been destroyed.
The parents of the teenager believe the investigation has not been as complete as they wanted, and they are frustrated that no one will ever be brought to justice for their son’s wrongful death. The boy’s parents believe their son was murdered, and the teenager’s mother says investigators failed to look at evidence that was related to her son being bullied. She says her son died his hair different colors and that bullies picked on him because of the way he dressed and because of his piercings.
The teenager’s father commenting on the lack of closure said that even if the case was prosecuted, his boy is still going to be gone and it will still hurt.
