Two charged in connection to 2008 fatal hit and run near Alma, Ont.
Police have laid charges in the death of Lucas Shortreed 14 years after the 18-year-old was killed in a hit and run near Alma, Ont.
On Oct. 10, 2008, Shortreed was walking home from a party around midnight on Wellington Road 17 when he was struck and killed by a vehicle.
The driver did not remain at the scene.
FAR-REACHING INVESTIGATION
From the outset, police knew the make and model of the vehicle they were looking for.
“Some of the evidence that was left behind at the scene, it was examined, and investigators were able to determine it was a 1995 to 1997 white Dodge Neon,” said Const. Jacob Unger with Wellington County OPP.
The search for the car was exhaustive, police said.
“Over the next 14 years, we received over 100 tips from the public that detectives followed up on,” Unger said. “They examined several hundred vehicles trying to determine and locate the suspect vehicle and determine who his driver was.”
In 2008, police even conducted a re-enactment in an effort to jog memories. In a statement at the time, the family pleaded with the culprit to turn themselves in before they were caught.
“Turn yourself in. You have done enough to your family and mine… you will be caught one way or another,” Shortreed’s family said.
Police also issued a strong message.
“This will haunt you for the rest of your life. You need to know that we will not give up on our quest to find the person responsible for this death,” OPP said in 2008.
Those words rung hollow – until now.
BREAKTHROUGH IN THE CASE
On Tuesday around noon, Wellington County OPP announced earlier that day officers executed a search warrant at a Mapleton Township address. Two people were charged, and a vehicle was recovered from the property.
David Alexander Halliburton, 55, of Arthur was charged with failing to stop at the scene of an accident involving bodily harm and obstructing justice.
Anastasia Marie Halliburton, 53, also of Arthur, was charged with accessory after the fact and obstructing justice.
“The OPP never considers a case to be a cold case,” said Unger. “An investigation is active until it is solved.”
Police said the investigation is still ongoing, and anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact police.
Correction
An initial media release from police said the accused were from “Arthur Township.” OPP have since said they are, in fact, from the community of Arthur. This article has been updated.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.