Texas state troopers searching for vehicle involved in May 23 hit-and-run near Rockport

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2 days ago

(This story was updated to add new information.)
Law enforcement officials are asking for the public's help in finding a vehicle that they believe is involved in a hit-and-run crash that killed a bicyclist in the early hours of May 23 near Rockport.
They are looking for a 2018 to 2021 BMW X4 30i X-Line vehicle that they think hit the bicyclist, according to an updated news release that the Texas Department of Public Safety issued on May 26.
The DPS on May 28 identified the victim as James Guthrie, 51, of Rockport.
Anyone with information should call the DPS at 361-698-5600.
'The suspect vehicle will have damage to the front grille — the area in between the headlights,' said Sgt. Harold 'Rob' Mallory of the DPS Texas Highway Patrol Corpus Christi District.
Police are still unsure of the vehicle's color.
According to the department's original news release, Aransas County dispatch received a 911 call at about 2:30 a.m. on May 23 of a fatal hit-and-run crash on Business State Highway 35-L, about half a mile north of State Highway 188.
Troopers who responded to the scene found that a man was riding a bicycle south on the road's improved shoulder — a portion of the highway not intended for vehicle traffic — when the driver of the unidentified vehicle failed to maintain its lane.
The vehicle struck the bicyclist, throwing him off the bicycle and into a ditch.
Justice of the Peace Judge Dupnik pronounced him deceased at 3:35 a.m.
The driver left the scene of the crash.
Mallory said investigators don't know if alcohol was involved.
Troopers examined the debris and found that the vehicle's front grille was damaged from striking the cyclist, Mallory said. Troopers determined the parts came from a BMW and contacted a BMW dealership to identify the make and model of the vehicle.
Before troopers arrived, the 911 caller reported seeing another man at the scene who riffled through the deceased cyclist's pockets, took several items and left on foot, according to the May 23 new release.
DPS troopers do not know if that man had anything to do with the hit-and-run crash, Mallory said.
Troopers from the Highway Patrol Office in Rockport are investigating the crash.
'We've gotten a lot of help from the public,' Mallory said. 'People have been calling in tips, so eventually we may get that tip that leads us somewhere. It's important for people to keep their eyes open.'
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: DPS seeking hit-and-run driver who killed cyclist near Rockport May 23