CLYDE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — An 88-year-old Allegan County woman who was hospitalized following a hit-and-run on June 13 has died.
Jean Beaty died Monday night from her injuries.
The driver who hit Beaty as she walked along 117th Avenue west of 56th Street in rural Clyde Township, south of Fennville, hasn’t been caught. Allegan County Sheriff’s Office detectives are following up on leads but still don’t have a suspect, so the family is speaking out.
“I just hope that someone sees the pain that we’re all going through. If you know something, please say something,” Beaty’s granddaughter Ashley Keag said. “Anyone who knew her holds a very special place for her in their heart.”
It has been nearly two week of shock, sadness, frustration and sorrow for Beaty’s family.
“It just doesn’t feel real. It doesn’t feel like this is the way my grandmother’s life and story ends,” Keag said. “We just need answers. We want to know what happened, how long she was there, why you left. We all understand accidents happen, but there’s just no excuse for this.”
Beaty was known for her twice-daily walks along the rural roads of the sparsely populated, low-traffic area near her home. It was along one of those roads that a good Samaritan found her lying partially in the road June 13. She lived for 10 days, but her injuries ultimately proved too severe.
“To lose her this way I think is what hurts the most. Grandmother was in impeccable health. She walked 2 miles a day — 1 mile in the morning and 1 mile in the afternoon,” Keag said.
Detectives have little go to on. Beaty could not tell them much and there are no known witnesses. But her family is convinced that someone knows something.
“That is what is astounding to us, that someone hasn’t come forward. How do you not have a conscience?” Keag wondered of the driver who hit her grandmother. “We need an ending to this story. To leave it open and for us to wonder for years to come, that’s not fair to any of us. And honestly, that’s not fair to yourself either. It’s going to eat away at you.”
Detectives say if you have any information, even if you don’t think it’s significant, it could still help lead them to the suspect. You can call the sheriff’s office at 269.673.0500 or Silent Observer at 1.800.554.3633 with tips.