WEST VALLEY, Utah — A grieving family is looking for answers after a West Valley City man was killed in a hit-and-run incident while the suspect remains at large.
Joel Lewis was crossing a street in the area near 3245 South just before 10 p.m. Monday when he was hit by the vehicle. But it wasn't until the next morning that Joel's father, Robert, learned what happened to his son.
"He just went for an evening stroll and didn't make it home and it's horrible," said Lewis.
Days after his son's death, Robert shared childhood pictures and memories of Joel.
"This is my son Joel when he was younger, obviously 4th of July and he was having a blast," Robert said.
Fond memories through a tragic time for this grieving father.
"He had a sense of empathy, so he was always rooting for the underdog, something he didn't get from me," he added.
Lewis' girlfriend and mother of their six-month-old daughter, Teresa Vandyke, spoke of her boyfriend in a statement she shared with FOX 13 News.
"I loved him so much, he was taken away from all of us way too soon," wrote Vandyke. "He loved his family, kids Aydan Lewis and Skylista Iris Lewis, snowboard, camping, shooting and bring a smile to everyone's face, he truly will be missed so much."
West Valley City police said there is no crosswalk in the area where Lewis was hit and it was dark at the time the hit-and-run crash took place. They said it is legal to cross the street and under those circumstances, the pedestrian would need to ensure they safely had room to cross the road.
"This is likely a GMC or Chevy pickup truck probably in the model years between 1999 and 2006 so that at least gives us some kind of a starting point," said Roxanne Vainuku with the department.
Vainuku added that the truck likely has some damage to the front driver's side headlight and side view mirror.
"We're asking the public to take a look if you know someone who has a vehicle in that age range and it's got some damage in those areas," added Vainuku.
As for Robert, he says he hasn't slept since this incident happened and he lost his son.
"When you just look at these photos, from when he was young, as an adult, the big smile that he has, it just goes to show you that this guy had a lot of life left," Robert said.
Now, he's just hoping for some answers.
"We're quite confident that one day we're going to know who it was and why."
