Accident, 911 Calls & Then a Suicide

Officials in Neenah (Wisc.) are investigating the handling of a fatal hit-and-run accident in a Wal-Mart parking lot that sent officers looking for the wrong car, and ending with the suicide death of the actual driver of the vehicle. Police say a 56 year-old woman was struck and dragged by a light-colored Ford Econoline van, and the vehicle sped off. The first 911 caller reached a Winnebago County sheriff’s dispatcher, and gave accurate information about the suspect’s vehicle. A second caller was agitated and gave no description. But a third caller did have a description–he described the wrong vehicle, one that sped off in pursuit of the actual suspect. Police are unsure if the incorrect description meant they missed the vehicle as they responded. Police located the suspect’s home and van two days later. While the officer was at his home, he received word from deputies in Portage County that they had found the suspect dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Read more and listen to the 911 calls here.