Lethbridge police have laid a murder charge in connection with a hit-and-run collision last summer that left a man dead.
On June 1, 2020 around 4:40 p.m., Lethbridge police responded to the pedestrian collision in an alley near 9 Avenue and 13 Street South. Before they arrived, a yellow, 2005 Dodge Ram left the scene, police said.
After a nine-month-long investigation, Melissa Dumaine Whitegrass, 37, of Lethbridge was arrested on March 2. She was charged with first-degree murder, dangerous driving causing death, and assault with a weapon.
“The fact that this has taken several, several months for us to complete, it just shows the determination and the diligence by our criminal investigation division to not give up and continue to find the truth,” said LPS Inspector Jason Walper.
Walper said several key witnesses delayed the investigation process as they were difficult to locate.
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Lethbridge police confirmed Whitegrass and Austin Forsyth were in a common-law relationship until 2017 and violent crimes investigators called it a case of domestic violence.
Police noted there were no previous alleged domestic violence incidents between the two reported to them.
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“Certainly our investigators deemed that this was in fact a domestic violence situation, but the actual motive for why the accused did what she did on that day is not clear at this time,” Walper said.
What Walper said is clear is that Whitegrass was looking for Forsyth on the day of the incident.
“We do have evidence to support that she was in that area looking for him, and that’s through surveillance of the area showing her repeatedly driving through certain areas and eventually locating the victim.”
When the vehicle left the scene it was driven by a man who police say they don’t anticipate any charges against. The truck fleeing was one of a number of red flags for officers.
“The accused actually stayed the scene of the collision, she did not flee, she was found at the scene of the collision and did indicate to the responding officers that the collision was accidental in nature,” Walper said.
“Our investigation and further follow-up has lead us to believe that this was in fact not accidental, and that it was an intentional act.”
Whitegrass remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court on March 9.
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