Police seek tips in fatal hit-and-run case

Nearly two months after a Brownsville woman was killed during a hit-and-run on Boca Chica Boulevard, the driver’s identity remains unknown.

Police said Joanna Cardenas, 41, of Brownsville was crossing near the 2200 block of the boulevard and heading south when a 2000 model white Chevrolet SUV was heading west and struck her near the center median at about 9:30 p.m. on May 20.

The deadly encounter happened near the H-E-B on Boca Chica Boulevard, and the driver fled the scene in the vehicle.

Police have still been unable to identify the driver, said Investigator Martin Sandoval, spokesman for the Brownsville Police Department, Tuesday.

Although businesses in the surrounding areas do have video cameras, none of the cameras point to the street, Sandoval said.

The SUV would have had damage to its front, the spokesman said. Police are hoping that someone will come forward with information on either the vehicle or the driver.

When neither video camera footage nor witnesses are available, Sandoval said it is difficult to solve such cases.

“We usually depend on the citizens of the community,” he said. “If the community notices a truck that has been damaged and looks like it was involved in an accident during that time frame, that’s how usually a lot of these crimes get solved.

“They might think it isn’t relevant or it really doesn’t matter, and a lot of times the things people think aren’t really important are extremely important,’’ he said.

Police urge anyone who might have information on the accident to call Brownsville Crime Stoppers at (956) 546-8477 or to contact Crime Stoppers in its Facebook Page or at www.brownsvillecrimestoppers.com.

Cash rewards are issued if the tip leads to the arrest of the individual involved in the incident. The public can submit their tips without using their names.