Dallas police are searching for the suspect who ran over a woman in South Dallas and then left the scene. The victim, Stephanie Whitlock, 44, died days after the hit-and-run, but the charge has now been upgraded to murder.
Pastor Karen Dudley said Stephanie Whitlock was a regular at her church, Dallas International Street Church in south Dallas. There, when she heard that Whitlock was seriously injured, she rushed to the hospital.
“I felt God was bringing her back. She wanted to live. She wasn't trying to die,” Dudley said.
But after several days in the hospital, Whitlock was taken off life support. Dallas police are currently seeking information that could lead to the arrest of the person responsible for her death. Detectives said the crime occurred on Frank Street just before 7 a.m. on Oct. 9.
Police say the driver of a dark-colored SUV, possibly an older model BMW, was seen on surveillance footage hitting Whitlock and then leaving the scene. What was an aggravated assault has now been reclassified as a murder.
“I was grateful because I was able to go in and hold her hand,” Dudley said. “She was unconscious and she was on a ventilator, but I felt like she could hear me.”
Dudley said Whitlock was striving for a better life for herself and at one point was involved in women's ministry. She wants those in her charge to know that Stephanie is important.
Dallas Police say a preliminary investigation has identified the suspect as a black man in his early 30s, named “Gigi,” approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall.
Anyone with information regarding this crime is asked to contact Detective Guy Curtis at 214-671-3633 or guy.curtis@dallaspolice.gov.
