By MARGIE TRAX PAGE - Staff Writer - mtrax@starbeacon.com
Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers and investigators are searching and every pearl-colored SUV registered in Ashtabula County, OHP Sgt. Jared Sutton said, in hopes of finding the vehicle that killed 15-year-old Melanie Moretti Saturday night.
“We are narrowing down our search vehicle by vehicle,” Sutton said. “We are making physical contact, actually looking at every single vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle in this case.”
Moretti, who was a student at Edgewood Senior High School, died Saturday evening when a hit-and-run driver struck and killed her as she was walking down Fargo Street with a friend.
While a witness gave a description of the vehicle, Sutton said the driver also left behind physical evidence in the case.
“We have the right side mirror from the vehicle,” Sutton said. “We will use that mirror to find out the exact year, make and model of the vehicle.”
OHP investigators are looking for a pearl-colored vehicle that is missing its right mirror, Sutton said.
“This is a process of elimination,” he said.
A crash reconstructionist was brought to the scene to help in the investigation, authorities said.
Melanie and her friend were walking in the street in the dark, Sutton said, as the sidewalks were covered in deep snow. Her friend was knocked to the ground and suffered minor injuries, reports show. Moretti died at the scene.
Anyone with information regarding the hit-and-run death of Moretti should call the Ohio State Highway Patrol at 969-1155.
