Madeline Henríquez, a young woman 22 years old, was arrested yesterday in Long Island (NY) on suspicion of fatally hitting Cherokee Fletcher, a mother of 5, and then fleeing the scene.
Henriquez, a Brentwood resident, has been charged in connection with the crash at Motor Parkway and Moreland Road in the town of Hauppauge, around 10: 15 pm on 23 May.
Investigators believe Henriquez’s vehicle collided with another car, before striking Fletcher and then fleeing. The detainee faces charges of second-degree manslaughter, leaving the scene of an incident involving a fatality and tampering with physical evidence. She was scheduled to stand trial yesterday in the First District Court in Central Islip.
Steven Bartolomey, Fletcher’s fiancé, said the 28 year old woman had gone out that night towards a 7-Eleven store, but never came home. He added to ABC News that the young woman was a wonderful mother to her five children. “She would do anything for her children, she would go above and beyond.”
They all lived in a nearby shelter but had plans to move and get married this summer. While the police were looking for the suspect, Bartolomey sent her a message through the press: “Turn yourself in… Why did you leave her body there? She left behind five children. Five sons. That’s not fair. We plan a wedding. It will never happen now”.
That same night, just 15 minutes later, another woman was killed by a hit-and-run driver on Long Island, reported New York Post.
The victim, Tracey Dorismond, a Brentwood resident of 32 years old, was fatally struck on a West Islip street by a car heading west on Montauk Highway near Pease Lane. That driver has not been arrested.
Anyone with information about this fatal incident should contact the Suffolk County Police Department at (631) 852-6555 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.