On December 29, 1989, Ruth Buchanan, a 52-year-old mother, was tragically struck by a vehicle while crossing a street in Charlotte, North Carolina. She later died in what would become a cold case hit-and-run.
Buchanan had just left a department store with a friend when the driver of a car sped through a red light and hit her. The impact was so severe that her body was thrown to the opposite side of the intersection.
Despite the presence of witnesses, the driver did not stop, did not offer assistance, and fled the scene.
Cold Case Hit-and-Run
“Her body landed on the opposite side of the intersection, and that vehicle, according to witnesses, didn’t stop, didn’t render aid, and continued to flee the scene,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Sgt. Gavin Jackson of the Major Crash Unit recounted in a video released by police.
Buchanan succumbed to her injuries the following day in the hospital, leaving her family devastated and the community in shock. Despite efforts to find the perpetrator, the investigation quickly went cold.
