A key clue has surfaced in pursuit of the driver who left the scene after fatally striking a man on foot on a highway in Belle Plaine, authorities said Wednesday.
Derek J. Fath, 29, of Belle Plaine, was in the northbound lanes of Hwy. 169 near Belle Plaine Trail when he was hit between 4:30 and 5 a.m. Sunday, according to the State Patrol.
The patrol said it has evidence that the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run is a 2010 to 2012 Ford Fusion or Mercury Milan.
"Troopers would also like to speak to the driver and any occupants" of the vehicle, said Patrol Lt. Heath Dienger.
Dienger did not say how investigators determined what type of vehicle they are looking for, but pieces of the vehicle left at crash scenes often yield clues.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the patrol at 651-582-1503.
Fath, who lived about 2 miles northeast of where he was hit, leaves behind a 2-year-old son.
He worked for SMS Systems Maintenance Service in Prior Lake on the engineering team.
