Family pleading for public’s help finding gray F-250 which killed 18-year-old high school student

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The family of an 18-year-old Falcon High School student is pleading for the public's help in identifying a gray Ford F-250, which Colorado State Patrol (CSP) says fled the scene of a fatal accident on February 1, 2023.

Joseph "Jojo" Wright was driving his motorcycle near Constitution Ave and Waynoka Pl that night. CSP says the driver of the F-250 collided with Wright in the intersection before fleeing the scene. For the last four months, they have been diligently trying to find the driver, but have been unsuccessful. The image below is a similar make and model to the truck they are now searching for.

13 Investigates spoke with Wright's mother, Cody Ilett, who says she is pleading for the public's help in finding the person responsible for her son's death.

"How can you live with yourself," Ilett questioned. "It could have been your child, and just how are you sleeping at night?"

The accident happened close to a local Sonic, which captured surveillance video of the driver in question and his F-250 driving in and out of the drive-thru. CSP released this security camera video in hopes that someone can identify the gray truck.

"There's no way that somebody can be that oblivious to their neighbors, to their family, to their friends. You've got this brand new truck you're driving around and all of a sudden, it's gone," Ilett said. "You're not driving it. It's nowhere to be found, or it's changed drastically. There's no way that somebody doesn't notice that."

Wright was a soon-to-be graduating senior at Falcon High School when his life was taken. He was heavily involved in ROTC and leaves behind two sisters, his mom and dad, grandparents, cousins, and friends.

"He was planning on enlisting in the Air Force. I mean he had aspirations that just blew my mind. He impacted everybody that just walked by him," Ilett said.

Ilett described the pain of losing her youngest son as a "nightmare that doesn't stop," and would never wish the pain of losing a child "on her worst enemy."

"It's going to be like this for the rest of my life, and I should've never had to bury my own child and my youngest at that, my only son," Ilett said.

She holds out hope that someone in the El Paso County community knows something and is willing to step up and say something. If caught, she wants the driver of the gray F-250 prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

"As far as I'm concerned, I would like the longest sentence possible. They can sit in there and think about what they did," Ilett said.

If you know who is responsible for this hit-and-run fatality, you are urged to call the Colorado State Patrol at 719-544-2424.