This Texas family has been calling police every day since their loved one was killed in a hit-and-run on November 16. They say investigators are ignoring them.
GALVESTON, Texas — The family of a 77-year-old grandfather killed in a hit-and-run crash says police have not contacted them, despite making daily calls to investigators seeking information about the case.
Fidel Estrada was riding his bike to work early Sunday morning when he was struck by a truck in Galveston on November 16. The driver fled the scene, but police used a damaged truck left behind to track down the owner. Eighteen-year-old Aiden Prause turned himself in the following day after learning police were looking for him.
Prause was arrested and charged with collision involving personal injury or death, a second-degree felony. His bond was set at $100,000.
Estrada’s son told reporters the family has been calling the police department every day this week but has not heard back from investigators. The lack of communication has prompted family members and activists to demand answers.
Eduardo Lopez De Casas, president of the Menudo Club, questioned the handling of the case.
“Policies need to be reviewed and communicate with families that have been killed like this. There is no excuse for this,” Lopez De Casas said.
“Why are authorities treating this family like this? And ignoring them?”
Estrada’s son expressed his anguish over the incident, saying he doesn’t believe the suspect has blood running through his veins and cannot understand how someone would leave his father dead on the road.
The family’s frustration deepened after learning that Prause was arrested earlier this year in Harris County. Documents indicate police had video of Prause causing damage to a water treatment plant, but the Harris County District Attorney’s office dismissed those charges, stating they could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Family members say if Prause had been charged in that case, he likely would not have been in Galveston at the time of the crash.
Reporters have reached out to both the Harris County District Attorney’s office and Galveston Police for additional information but have not received a response.
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