Police have made a break in the case of a deadly hit-and-run. West Palm Beach detectives have found the car they say was involved in a the hit and run that killed a Tennessee man and critically injured his wife.
Police say they have the Mazda Tribute that matches the fog light left at the scene of the crash on Hibiscus and Quadrille Streets. Paul McKee, 47, and his wife were crossing the intersection on December 3 when a driver traveling southbound on Quadrille hit them and kept driving.
McKee was killed at the scene and his wife was taken to the hospital.
The days have been dark for McKee's sister and her family.
"He's not here anymore. We were all so close and now he's not here," she said over the phone from her Indiana home.
Last month she traveled to West Palm Beach to comfort her sister-in-law and talk to detectives about what happened to her brother and his wife.
"He [detective] called me Sunday night you know, as soon as they found the vehicle and said they were working on getting the people. And that was at least a bright moment in this horrible time," said Jennifer Ordiway, McKee's sister.
"I would think that they are very close, if not close, they know who the driver is, it's trying to prove that," said law enforcement expert Andrew Scott.
Scott said having the car is vital to the investigation, but it does not always lead to an immediate arrest.
"Now the question begs, can they get an arrest? Can they get an admission?" he said.
Scott believes detectives will now try to match the eye-witness description of the driver to what the owner of the car looks like among other investigative steps.
"If police have that general description and the owner fits that general description, then what will happen, police will create a line-up, a photographic line-up," said Scott.
Witnesses could identify the driver. Ordiway said she's grateful for the detectives who have worked around the clock to get justice for her brother and his wife.
"We're really hoping that they catch them soon and they pay for what they've done," she said.
Police will not release any other information at this time to avoid jeopardizing the investigation.
