SAN ANTONIO – A 27-year-old woman was arrested after Bexar County Sheriff’s Office investigators connected her with a hit-and-run crash that left the victim internally decapitated, according to Sheriff Javier Salazar.
Savannah Mercedes Lopez is accused of hitting a 62-year-old man who was walking down the street in the 6200 block of Glen Meadows Drive on the night of June 26, Salazar said. She’s charged with failure to stop and render aid involving serious bodily injury or death.
A person walking near the area reported finding the man’s body, which did not appear to have any external injuries the next day, according to the sheriff.
Further investigation determined the man suffered severe blunt force trauma internally, a brain bleed, massive injury to his organs, broken bones and was internally decapitated.
“Everything in his neck area was severed except his skin,” Salazar said about the victim.
The sheriff said it appeared the man was hit from behind based on the truck’s damage.
“His body made a backwards U, conforming to the front of the (truck),” Salazar said.
He said the man had an almost instantaneous death.
Doorbell footage from a nearby home didn’t show the impact, but the sound could be heard. Salazar said the impact sounded like the driver had hit another vehicle instead of a person.
A white Dodge pickup truck was then seen driving past the home before being heard peeling off at a high rate of speed, according to BCSO.
Investigators then began looking for the truck, which they believed had damage that matched the victim’s body. They canvassed the neighborhood and found the truck nearby, Salazar said.
An investigator followed the vehicle and made contact with the driver.
Lopez and her husband were questioned by BCSO, where they gave conflicting stories before she admitted she was driving the truck, according to the sheriff.
BCSO took in the truck for further investigation. They found bodily fluids of the victim, damage to the truck and fibers that matched what the victim was wearing the night of the crash, Salazar said.
No other arrests are expected in this case.
The man’s identity has not been released, as next of kin has not been notified. Salazar said the man may have been homeless and frequented the area where he was hit by the truck.
The sheriff said Lopez has a history of at least one DWI case where she had a child in the vehicle, and she was possibly out on bond for that charge.
KSAT will update this story as more information becomes available.
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