Dallas Police are searching for the person responsible for running over a woman in South Dallas and leaving the scene. The victim, 44-year-old Stephanie Whitlock, died several days following the hit and run, which has now been upgraded to a homicide.
Pastor Karen Dudley said Stephanie Whitlock was a regular at her church, Dallas International Street Church in South Dallas. So, when she heard Whitlock had been badly hurt, she rushed to the hospital.
“I just felt like God was going to bring her back. She wanted to live. She wasn’t trying to die,” said Dudley.
After several days in the hospital, though, Whitlock was taken off life support. Dallas Police now want information that will lead to an arrest of the person responsible for her death. Detectives said the crime happened October 9 just before 7:00 a.m. on Frank Street.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
They said the driver of a dark-colored SUV – possibly an older model BMW – captured on surveillance ran over Whitlock and left the scene. What was an aggravated assault has now been reclassified as a homicide.
“I was thankful because I got to go in and just hold her hand,” said Dudley. “She was unconscious, they had her on breathing machines, but I felt like she heard me.”
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Dudley said Whitlock was working on a better life for herself and joined a women’s ministry at one point. She wants the person responsible to know that Stephanie mattered.
Dallas Police said the preliminary investigation determined the suspect may go by the name of “Gigi” and is described as a black male, in his early 30s and approximately 5’4” in height.
Anyone with information regarding this crime is asked to contact Detective Guy Curtis at 214-671-3633 or guy.curtis@dallaspolice.gov.
