AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — The Aurora Police Department is pleading for the public’s help in finding the person behind the wheel of a hit-and-run crash that killed a man and his two dogs last week. The department and Metro Denver Crime Stoppers upped the reward from $2,000 to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest, hoping someone will come forward.
It’s been four agonizing days since a loving family was torn apart by a hit-and-run crash that happened on Friday around 2.30 a.m. near Horizon Park.
Jason Lyman, 41 was out for a stroll with his dogs, but nobody made it home. The father of three and his animals were all hit by a car. The driver swerved onto the sidewalk, crashed into a sign and electrical box, and crashed in a median — then took off on foot.
The FOX31 Problem Solvers learned on Tuesday that excessive speed is considered a factor in the crash. However, the person behind the wheel remains a mystery.
FOX31 attended the vigil on Monday night, along with 150 others, including close friends and family.
“You took someone really good, really good from us,” Amanda Stolte cried. “He was an amazing person.”
Video evidence could crack the case
Agent Matthew Longshore with APD said they’re increasing the reward to $10,000.
“Please if you know something, say something,” Longshore said. “Unfortunately, we really just don’t have a lot of information to go off as far as who our suspect is. This is so horrific and tragic, not only for the family but for the community. You can tell by the memorial behind me and how many people showed up for the vigil last night.”
Longshore said a witness, homeowner or business owner can crack the case by simply checking their cameras.
“Check your cameras,” advised Longshore. “It may be a small detail that you don’t think matters, but it could mean the difference in our case.”
Longshore is asking everyone in that area to check their cameras from 2 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. as they try to construct a timeline for the suspect. He added that since the incident, officers have been working around the clock to solve the case.
“They came out here right away, they collected evidence, they 3D scanned the scene,” Longshore said. “We’re processing the vehicle for forensic evidence.”
Although plenty of evidence was collected, Longshore said it takes a significant amount of time to process and video evidence could speed their investigation up. He’s hoping the increased reward will help with an arrest and bring a mourning family and community closure.
FOX31 asked APD if the car left at the scene was reported stolen. Longshore said detectives have spoken with the registered owner and are following up but can’t say much else.
The family has a GoFundMe page set up to help with expenses.
If you know anything about this case, call notify Aurora Police Traffic Sgt. Carlton by calling 303-739-6243. You can also submit this evidence anonymously by using the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers website.