Twenty years after a 19-year-old man was struck and killed in a hit-and-run on SR 18, Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound is renewing its call for information, and this time, they’re emphasizing that investigators already have a named suspect.
Deadly crash on SR 18
The incident happened on July 2, 2006, as the suspect, identified as now 43-year-old Saul Cortez-Moreno, was driving on SR 18, near SR 167.
“Cortez-Moreno was driving westbound on SR 18 to turn northbound onto SR 167. That interchange,” Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound Executive Director Jim Fuda said. “He runs over 19-year-old Andy Pellegrino and leaves him for dead. Takes off and has yet to be found 20 years later.”
A named suspect and a white Jeep Cherokee
Unlike many cold cases, investigators in this one have a clear lead: a suspect with local ties and a specific vehicle linked to the crash.
“Investigators believe Cortez-Moreno was driving a white 1997 Jeep Cherokee,” Fuda explained. “Cortez-Moreno has connections to the area and is likely known to people still living in the community, and someone knows where he’s at.”
‘He’s had the luxury of living life’
The case was investigated as a hit-and-run homicide by the Washington State Patrol. Fuda said there is no question in investigators’ minds that Cortez-Moreno knew what happened that night. That he hit someone and kept going…