Police Offer $5K Reward For Information On Halloween Hit-And-Run That Killed 17-Year-Old In Howard County
COLUMBIA, MD. (WJZ) — Howard County police are still searching for the driver of a vehicle who struck and killed a 17-year-old girl on Halloween and then fled the scene.
Police are offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information.
Nursen Esabel Akinci was struck by an unknown vehicle driving eastbound on Route 108 just east of Phelps Luck Drive in the early morning hours after Halloween, at around 1:36 a.m. on November 1.
Police said they believe Akinci stopped her Honda Civic on northbound Phelps Luck Drive at Route 108. She and another teenager then exited the car to run across the road to a Royal Farms store.
Akinci was struck but the other teenager was not injured. The striking vehicle left the scene, police said. Akinci died at the hospital from her injuries.
Investigators have not found any evidence, witnesses or surveillance video that may have caught the collision.
"It's like I'm missing a part of my heart," Akinci's mother, Aida Santos, said. "It just hurts every day she's not here. "It just hurts because she didn't deserve to just be left there."
Santos said her daughter was a senior in high school with dreams of going to Towson University to be an FBI agent. She was also an older sister.
"It hurts," the victim's sister, Sara Akinci, said. "It's hard. It's not fair."
Her family is now left searching for answers.
Investigators ask anyone who sees or knows of a dark-colored sedan, small SVU or crossover vehicle that has or had front-end damage, including the driver's side headlight, is urged to contact police at 410-313-STOP and note the license plate if possible.
They are also asking area body shops to contact police if they remember repairing a vehicle matching this description.
