Detectives still seeking information about fatal hit and run a year later

A memorial is on display along Sierra Highway to honor Desiree Lawson on Monday, Dec. 25, 2017. Nikolas Samuels/The Signal
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A year to the day after a teen was killed in a hit-and-run collision, Santa Clarita Valley detectives are still seeking the information necessary for them to close the case.

A $25,000 reward offered to anyone knowing the whereabouts of the culprit from the collision that ended the life of 15-year-old Desiree Lawson has failed to yield the person behind the crime as of Tuesday.

A year later, rosary beads still hang by a fence near where she was killed, and family have not received the closure regarding their dear relative’s life.

A memorial is on display along Sierra Highway to honor Desiree Lawsonon Monday, Dec. 25, 2017. Nikolas Samuels/The Signal

On Dec. 26, 2016, Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies were dispatched to Sierra Highway to discover a disturbing scene.

Lawson was lying in the street. She was later transported to a hospital and succumbed to her injuries.

Rosalind Wayman, who is field deputy to Supervisor Kathryn Barger, told reporters shortly after the crash: “This loss has really shaken the community and Supervisor Barger is committed to bringing those responsible to justice.” Wayman went on to say it was a “heinous crime.”

Cameron Smyth, who was Santa Clarita’s mayor at the time, described the incident as “nothing worse for a parent than to lose a child,” at news conference in which the city added to the county’s reward for information leading to the arrest of the driver.

“A hit-and-run is one of the most cowardly acts that someone could perpetrate,” he said. “Particularly, when you leave a young teenager lying on the street on Sierra Highway.”

Detective Mark Cramer is looking for a late ’80s or early ’90s four-door sedan, possibly a Toyota Corolla, Honda Accord or Pontiac Trans Am with a low front end. The sought vehicle has been described as tan, gold, or dark-colored. The sedan has a lower front end and may have possible damage to the front end or hood.

A law enforcement officer walks into a fatal crime scene involving a pedestrian and at least one vehicle on Sierra Highway Monday night in 2016. Samie Gebers/Signal

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