ELKTON, Md. — Mesiah Lafayette, an 11-year-old boy, was struck and killed riding his bike in Elkton over the weekend.
Police say the driver never even stopped, fleeing in hopes of leaving the country.
With help from the community, officers tracked 31-year-old Nestor La Guillen Parra to Wilmington, Delaware.
It's believed Parra was boarding a bus to Georgia, under a different name, with plans to flee the U.S. for Mexico.
"He was in the country legally, as a permanent resident alien status," Elkton Police Lieutenant Ron Odom told WMAR-2 News. "If he had made it to Mexico, it would have been extremely difficult, because once he got there, he could become a ghost."
Witnesses say Mesiah and his friends were biking across the intersection at Elkton and Belle Hill Roads as the light turned from yellow to red.
That's when Parra tried beating the light and hit Mesiah, causing his death.
Community members spotted the car Parra was driving in a nearby lot covered with a tarp. He'd been borrowing it from a relative.
"If it wasn't for that level of cooperation, we may not be where we are, and we certainly may not be where we are as fast as we are," Odom said.
Meanwhile, Mesiah's family and friends remain devastated.
Flowers and candles remain at the crash site following a Tuesday vigil, where attendees prayed justice would be served.
"Then the next morning, we all wake up to - they caught the guy, and it happened to be just before 7 o'clock, when we were all gathered asking for justice, and that was big sigh of relief," George DeGrave, a friend of Mesiah's family, told WMAR-2 News.
DeGrave's children used to play with Mesiah often.
"He was very sweet. He was very outgoing. He shared whatever he had. You know, if he had candy, all the kids got candy," he recalled fondly.
Although Parra's already been arrested, charged and extradited, detectives are still seeking more information to build their case.
"Where our suspect was coming from, to try to pinpoint, was he coming from a bar? Was he potentially drinking, and maybe that's the reason why he didn't stop, or was it just because he did not have a legal right to drive, something that simple could have been the reason for him not stopping," Odom explained.
While Mesiah's family takes some comfort knowing Parra's in custody, they're struggling to lay their son to rest.
A GoFundMe was started to raise money for a funeral service Mesiah deserves.
"They were not prepared for something like this. And speaking on the family's behalf, they're on a financial hardship right now, you know, just living circumstances and everything else, this was the last thing they really needed," DeGrave said.
Parra's next due in court December 16.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. E. Donnelly at edonnelly@elktonpd.org or to call the Elkton Police Department at 410-398-4200.
