The death of a Merritt, B.C. councillor remains unsolved, one year after she was struck and killed by an unknown driver while standing on the side of Highway 16.
RCMP say they were called to that stretch of highway near Valemount just before midnight on July 4, 2023 after they received an automated cell phone crash notification. Officers discovered a Nissan Frontier unlocked and running on the side of the road with a dog inside.
It wasn't until they searched down an embankment that they found its driver – city councillor Claire Newman. She was declared dead at the scene.
RCMP say they believe Newman was the victim of a hit-and-run, but that the only evidence they found of another vehicle that night was part of a headlight from a grey 2016-2018 Jeep Cherokee.
One year on, her daughter Lauren Newman is pleading for anyone with information to come forward.
"Car accidents happen all the time. Things happen all the time. But that doesn't mean you can't do the right thing and come forward and give people the closure they need," she said in a video provided by Valemount RCMP.
The detachment urged anyone who may know something, even if it seems small, to contact them.
