EMILY: THE VAN THE SHERI'SFF OFFICE WANTS YOU TO LOOK OUT FOR AND HOW TWO WOMEN HELPED THE VICTIMS BEFORE RESPONDERS ARRID.VE TONIGHT THE DOUGLAS COUNTY SHERIFF IS URGING THE PERSON INVOLVED IN A HIT AND RUTHN AT KILLED A 9-YEAR-OLD GIRL TO COME FORWARD. IT HAPPENED NEAR LAWRENCE ON EAST 1900 ROAD AT THE K-10 OFF RAMP AROUND 5:15 P.M. SATUAY.RD THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS NOW LOOKING FOR A WHITE FORD TRAITNS VAN LIKE THIS ONE THAT THEY SAY WAS INVOLV.ED WE SPOKE WITH THE SHERIFF ABOUT THE SEARCH FOR THE SUSPECT AND THE GOOD SAMARITANS WHO STOPPED TO HELP. REPORTER: SHARDS OF GLASS AND PIECES OF PLASTIC ARE ALL THAT REMAIN AT THE SITE OF A DELYAD HIT AND RUN NEAR LAWE.NC >> UNFORTUNATELY, THIS IS JUST THE TRAGIC INNING NOBODY WANTS. EMILY: DOUGLAS COUNTY SHERIFF ARMBRISTER SAYS HIS OFFICE IS WORKING TIRELESSLY TO TRACK DOWN THE SUSPECT WHO AUTHORITIES SAY WAS DRIVING A WHITE FORD TRAITNS VAN LIKE THIS ONE. THE SHERIFF SAYS IT PULLED FORWARD AT A STOP SIGN ON THE K-10 OFF RAMP AT EAST 1900 ROAD 54-YEAR-OLD MAN ANHISD 9-YEAR-OLD GRANDDAUGHTER. SADLY, THE CHILD DIDOT N SURVIVE. >> WE OBVIOUSLY BELIEVE THAT THE DRIVER KNEW THIS OCCURRE ADND CHOSE TO LEAVE THE SCENE ANY. THAT MAKES IT VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO KIND OF WRAP YOUR HEAD AROUND. EMILY: BEFORE RESPONDERS GOTO T THIS SCENE, THE SHERIFF SAYS TWO WOMEN DRIVING BY STOPPED TO HELP. ONE WAS A NURSE. >> THE NICE LADY THAT I JUST SPOKE TO DID LIFE-SAVING MEASURES ON THE CHILD BUT ALSO SAID ANOTHER FEMALE WAS THERE RUBBING HER BACK, YOU KNOW BASICALLY JUST TRYING TO COMFORT HER. REPORTER: THE SHERIFF IS PLEADING WITH THE COMMUNITY TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THVAN.E >> THIS PERSON COULD BE FROM TOPEKA, LAWRENCE, EUDORA, KANSAS CITY OR ANYWHE.RE REPORT:ER AND URGING THE DRIVER TO COME FORWARD FOR THE FAMILY'S SA.KE >> THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN KNOWING IS NOT KNOWING. AND RIGHT NOW THERSE' JUST A LOT OF UNANSWERED QUTIESONS THAT WE JUST CAN'T HELP THIS POOR FAMILY WITH NOT THAT IT'S GOING TO MAKE THEM ANY BETTER BUT IT WILL HELP THEM TO PROCS.ES AND HELP THEM MOVE THROUGH THIS PROCESS. EMIL DY:EPUTIES SAY THEY BELIEVE THE VAN WAS A 2013 TO 2019 FORD TRANSIT CONNECT XL PROBABLY A NEWER MODEL. IT'S MISSIN A BLACK FRONT-END BUMPER COVER AND FRONT SPLASH GUARD AND LIKELY HAS FRONT-END DAMAGE THEY'RE ALSO TRYING TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE SECOND WOMAN WHO THEY SAY STOPPED TO HELP THE VICTIMS YESTERDAY. IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING THAT CAN HELP DEPUTIES FIND THEUS SPECT OR THAT WOMA
'It's infuriating': Douglas County Sheriff urges driver who killed 10-year-old to come forward
Deputies are looking for a white Ford transit van with front end damage.
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Updated: 6:03 PM CDT May 16, 2022
The Douglas County Sheriff is urging the driver involved in a hit-and-run that killed a 10-year-old girl to come forward. It happened near Lawrence on East 1900 Road at the K-10 off ramp Saturday evening. KMBC 9 spoke with the sheriff about the search for the suspect, and the good Samaritans who stopped to help. Shards of glass and pieces of plastic are all that remain at the site of a deadly hit and run near Lawrence. “Unfortunately, this is just the tragic end that nobody wants,” said Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister.His office is working tirelessly to track down the suspect, who authorities say was driving a white Ford Transit Connect SL van. It’s likely a 2018-1019 model and is missing the front bumper cover. It also likely has front-end damage. The sheriff says the van pulled forward at a stop sign on the K-10 off ramp at East 1900 Road and hit a motorcycle, which did not have a stop sign. The crash injured a 54- year-old man and his 10-year-old granddaughter. Sadly, the child did not survive. “We honestly believe that the driver knew that this had occurred and chose to leave the scene anyway, so that just makes it very, very difficult to kind of wrap your head around,” said Armbrister. “It’s even more than frustrating, it’s infuriating.”Before responders got to the scene, the sheriff says two women driving by stopped to help. One was a nurse. “The nice lady that I just spoke to did life-saving measures on the child, but also said another female was there rubbing her back, you know, basically just trying to comfort her,” Armbrister said. The sheriff is pleading with the community to be on the lookout for the white transit van and urging the driver to come forward for the family's sake. “The only thing worse than knowing is not knowing, and right now there's just a lot of unanswered questions that we just can't help this poor family with,” he said. “Not that it’s going to make them any better, but it will help them to process.”Anyone with information is asked to contact the Douglas County Sheriff’s office at 785-843-0250.
The Douglas County Sheriff is urging the driver involved in a hit-and-run that killed a 10-year-old girl to come forward. It happened near Lawrence on East 1900 Road at the K-10 off ramp Saturday evening. KMBC 9 spoke with the sheriff about the search for the suspect, and the good Samaritans who stopped to help.
Shards of glass and pieces of plastic are all that remain at the site of a deadly hit and run near Lawrence. “Unfortunately, this is just the tragic end that nobody wants,” said Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister.
His office is working tirelessly to track down the suspect, who authorities say was driving a white Ford Transit Connect SL van. It’s likely a 2018-1019 model and is missing the front bumper cover. It also likely has front-end damage.
The sheriff says the van pulled forward at a stop sign on the K-10 off ramp at East 1900 Road and hit a motorcycle, which did not have a stop sign. The crash injured a 54- year-old man and his 10-year-old granddaughter. Sadly, the child did not survive.
“We honestly believe that the driver knew that this had occurred and chose to leave the scene anyway, so that just makes it very, very difficult to kind of wrap your head around,” said Armbrister. “It’s even more than frustrating, it’s infuriating.”
Before responders got to the scene, the sheriff says two women driving by stopped to help. One was a nurse. “The nice lady that I just spoke to did life-saving measures on the child, but also said another female was there rubbing her back, you know, basically just trying to comfort her,” Armbrister said.
The sheriff is pleading with the community to be on the lookout for the white transit van and urging the driver to come forward for the family's sake.
“The only thing worse than knowing is not knowing, and right now there's just a lot of unanswered questions that we just can't help this poor family with,” he said. “Not that it’s going to make them any better, but it will help them to process.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Douglas County Sheriff’s office at 785-843-0250.
