Police ID driver in Marysville hit-and-run death
Published 9:29 pm Saturday, April 5, 2008
MARYSVILLE — Snohomish County sheriff’s detectives on Saturday found the driver who they believe struck and killed a Marysville woman.
The 41-year-old north Snohomish County man has not been arrested, sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said. Investigators also found the Jeep Grand Cherokee believed to be involved in the fatal hit-and-run.
Nicole Francis Cheek, 58, was killed Wednesday morning in the 12400 block of 34th Avenue NE on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. A driver heading south on I-5 found her body about 6:40 a.m. in a grassy strip between the road and the freeway.
Cheek died after suffering multiple injuries to her torso and legs, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office announced Friday. Her death is being classified as an accident, the medical examiner said.
Public records indicate that Cheek may have lived just a couple miles from where she was killed.
The Jeep’s suspected driver is not the vehicle’s registered owner, but the Jeep was not stolen, Hover said. Detectives have impounded the Jeep to be used as evidence.
Investigators have not released further details about the Jeep or how it was found. The sheriff’s office also withheld details about the suspected driver, because he has not been arrested, Hover said.
The investigation could last a couple of months. After the investigation, the case will be referred to the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office to decide whether charges should be filed.
Although the Jeep has been found, detectives are still asking anyone with information about the incident to call the sheriff’s office tip line at 425-388-3845.
