Reward swells to find driver who fatally hit woman, 75, in Hopkins

A sizable donation from a friend of a Hopkins hit-and-run victim has tripled the reward being offered for information leading to the driver who fatally ran her over in late October.

Jeanne "Dolores" Stafford, 75, was hit by a dark-colored SUV about 6 a.m. on Oct. 26 as she crossed the street at 17th Avenue and Mainstreet.

On Tuesday, police said in a statement that an anonymous donor, a friend of Stafford's, has pledged $10,000 for "information leading to the successful resolution of this case."

That brings the reward total to $15,000, with the initial money coming from the Hopkins Police Crime Fund.

Police added that new information about the vehicle indicates that it had dark-colored wheels and a sticker on the rear window.

Stafford was headed to a bus stop when she was hit in a crosswalk while following the "walk" sign, Police Sgt. Mike Glassberg said.

A good Samaritan called 911. By the time emergency personnel arrived on the scene, the driver had fled and they found Stafford lying in the street.

Anybody with information is asked to call police dispatch at 952-258-5321.

Earlier this week, the son of a 74-year-old woman struck and killed at a busy south Minneapolis intersection made a plea for the driver to come forward.

Barbara Mahigel of Minneapolis was hit Sunday evening at Nicollet Avenue S. and 43rd Street, an intersection that neighbors have had concerns about for many months.

She died the next day at Hennepin County Medical Center. She and her husband, Lou Mahigel, were crossing the street to celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary at a restaurant.

"I am begging for you to come forward and rectify your mistake," Mike Mahigel wrote in a message posted to Facebook and later distributed by police. "Please accept the chance to give my mother the respect she deserved and her family the closure it so desperately needs."