LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- Lafayette Crime Stoppers needs your help identifying the suspect in a fatal hit-and-run that occurred three years ago on July 4. 

Police said on Wednesday July 4, 2022, at approximately 3 a.m., patrol officers with the Lafayette Police Department responded to the 500 block of West Gilman Road. Upon officer arrival, a deceased male was located partially lying on the eastbound lane on the 500 block of West Gilman Road. The man was identified as Christopher Smith.

"All of the detectives that kind of look like they were looking into it, all of a sudden they stop answering my phone calls. They were there in the beginning, but they are just invisible now so that is kind of disturbing to me,” said Sheryl Scott, Christopher Smith's mother. 

Heartbreaking words as the mother still seeks answers in her son’s case. Sergeant Robin Green, the public information officer with the Lafayette Police Department, said the case is still open but suspended because of no leads. 

“This case is such a sad one because Ms. Sheryl, who is the victim, Christopher Smith's mother. This was her only child and so the case is unsolved, and we would just love to give her some closure,” said Green. “Every year on the anniversary of this case, I will have Crime Stoppers air this case and maybe just to see if someone out there might be looking and recall something about that night or even just know anything so we can reopen this case and we can solve it and give Christopher's mother some closure.”

Green says a lack of witnesses has caused the case to be more complicated.

“This case right now is really difficult because this area of Gilman in the 500 block. Well, there's a limited amount of houses right in that area, and none of the houses have any kind of camera system or anything that we could utilize to possibly see what exactly happened and a lack of witnesses," she said. "We have no witnesses in reference to this incident. All we have is just physical evidence and our traffic investigators, they exhausted all of the physical evidence that they could investigate and so right now, the case is just currently suspended pending some new information becoming available. That way if new information would become available, we'd be able to open the case and further investigate and possibly try to close it out.” 

She says any information can help.

“If we can get some vehicle information or if anybody just knows of possibly a driver. Sometimes people talk and they kind of let someone know about an incident that happened to get it off their chest," Green said. "If that is the case, we would love for that person to come forward. If they have that information, that would be wonderful and that way we can be like I said, we can reopen it, we can close it and give Ms. Sheryl Scott some closure. I mean, this was our only son and, you know, just the not knowing.” 

Green says the case has impacted the police department as Scott is a mother who will not give up and she understands. 

“She is a mother and she will continue to call and ask questions and she will not stop until her son's case is closed and as a mother, that I mean, I understand I am a parent and so I would be the same way,” Green. “If we can find a witness that possibly saw what happened or, like I said, just have any information, whether it be secondhand it’s still pertinent information to let us know and until this is solved and while I'm here every year on an anniversary, we will continue to air this story.”

If you can identify the suspect or have any information about this crime, call the line at 232-TIPS or submit your tip using the P3 Tips mobile app.

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