PHOENIX — Phoenix police are asking for the public's help finding the driver responsible for a hit-and-run crash that killed a Valley physical therapist and her dog last month.
Genieve Vega, 35, was crossing the street near Missouri Avenue and 8th Place on October 24 when she and her dog, Baxter, were struck and killed.
Police believe the driver was behind the wheel of a champagne-colored Toyota Sienna minivan. Investigators say the vehicle fled eastbound on Missouri Avenue after the crash.
Vega worked as a physical therapist in the Valley, spending her days helping patients regain their mobility and independence.
"She spent her day helping people. Getting them up, moving around, so they could live a more meaningful life," said Jonathan Glover, Vega's coworker.
To her friends, Vega was simply known as "G."
"When I first met her, that's how she introduced herself, and she's been 'G' ever since," said her friend Chante Williams.
Williams said Vega was walking home from Bashas' with groceries shortly before 7 p.m. that Saturday when she was struck.
"She was crossing the street, after getting groceries, and a car hit her. She wasn't even two blocks away from home," Williams said.
Abigail Rickert was nearby when the crash happened. She heard the collision and rushed to help Vega, calling 911.
"I parked my car. I heard the collision. By the 15 seconds it took me to get to her body, the vehicle had been long gone," Rickert said.
Now, Vega's loved ones are pleading for anyone with information to come forward.
"If any body shops have seen a champagne-colored minivan, or if anyone had seen anything that night, just do the right thing," Glover said.
Despite the devastating loss, Vega's friends say her legacy of helping others continues.
Vega was an organ donor, and her heart, liver and kidneys were donated to help save other lives.
"She'll be able to help people recover in the same way that she was when she was working every day," Williams said. "That helps me live through this a little better. That she is helping people right now. And her heart is still beating."
Phoenix police are asking anyone with information about the crash or the suspected Toyota Sienna to contact investigators.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS (480-948-6377).
A $2,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.
