‘She deserves justice’: Family of Silver Spring woman killed in hit-and-run asks the public for help
Officials encourage residents with information to contact police, ‘substantial’ reward is available
By
Danny Chung-A-FungJuly 21, 2026 5:23 p.m.
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Nate Tinbite, 24, was traveling on June 19. He landed at LaGuardia Airport in New York and called his mother to let her know he arrived safely.
His mother, 61-year-old Hanna Wegayehou, however, had not arrived safely at her destination.
Wegayehou was an avid walker, and, according to her son, was likely returning home from Trader Joe’s in Silver Spring when she was killed in a hit and run.
“My mom walks a lot in the neighborhood,” Tinbite said during a press conference with police Wednesday at the Montgomery County Public Safety Headquarters in Gaithersburg. “Something she does regularly is go on a walk to grocery stores … and I want you to register the fact that she was going to grab some food and died on the way back.”
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Now, Tinbite, his family and county police are asking for the public’s help in finding the driver who hit Wegayehou.
“At this point, the missing piece is not another investigative technique,” Sergeant Eli Kinser with the Collision Reconstruction Unit said. “The missing piece is information that only someone in this community possesses.”
An investigation determined Wegayehou was struck just before 1:15 p.m. by a black 2009-2013 Lexus SUV while crossing Crestmoor Drive near Colesville Road. The intersection serves as an entrance into Silver Spring’s Woodmoor neighborhood.
First responders found Wegayehou in the road in critical condition and despite life-saving efforts, she was pronounced dead, police said.
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Kinser encouraged anyone with information to contact police. There is also a “substantial” reward available for information that leads to the identification of the driver.
“You may be believing that remaining silent is protecting someone that you care about, but every day that passes extends the pain for a family that deserves answers,” he said at the conference. “Helping us identify the driver isn’t about choosing sides. It’s about allowing the truth to come out and allowing our justice system to do its job.”
Kinser also directly addressed the driver of the Lexus at the press conference.
“You cannot exchange or change what happened on June 19, but you can decide to do what’s next,” he said. “We encourage you to contact an attorney and arrange to turn yourself in.”
Tinbite said it was his father who ultimately picked up the phone and told him that he needed to return home immediately. He said at the press conference that his mom worked for the U.S. Department of Transportation for more than 20 years.
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“My mom was a walking angel who was loving, caring, and she showed up for everyone,” Tinbite said. “My mother was everything.”
The incident was one of at least three fatal pedestrian collisions in mid-June. On June 17, a pedestrian, Brian Roy Longaberger, 56, of an unknown address, was struck by a car on Muddy Branch Road near West Diamond Avenue in Gaithersburg and was pronounced dead at the scene. Josue David Carranza Castellon, 26, was later arrested as he attempted to board a flight at Newark International Airport and faces charges including manslaughter by vehicle.
On June 8, a pedestrian, Irrael Lopez Garcia, 39, died after he was struck by a car on Veirs Mill Road in the Wheaton-Glenmont area, according to police. The driver remained on the scene.
Captain David Reed of the Traffic Operations Division told Bethesda Today after the press conference that he was confident in Kinser’s team’s ability to find the driver, mentioning that they have solved every fatal incident case in the last three years.
Until then, Tinbite and his family will wait for answers.
“She deserves so much better than to be left on the side of the road,” Tinbite said. “She deserves justice. My family won’t rest until she receives it.”
— Elia Griffin and Ceoli Jacoby contributed to this story.
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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine