Family asks driver in fatal hit-and-run to come forward
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - The daughter of a Vermont man killed by a hit-and-run driver outside a Savannah hotel asked Wednesday for the person responsible to come forward and assured that "forgiveness is still possible."
Savannah-Chatham County police say 72-year-old Peter J. Meyer of Quechee, Vermont, was found dead late at night Jan. 4 outside the hotel where he had stopped for the night while driving to Florida. A police report says pieces that appeared to be from the lens cover to a vehicle's headlight were found in the road. Police have said they believe the vehicle was a 1999 or 2000 Chevrolet truck or SUV.
Family and friends of the retired Army officer who worked three decades as a Merrill Lynch stockbroker and manager have offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in Meyer's death. They bought two full-page newspaper ads in Savannah last Friday and Saturday and have sent emails to more than 80 local clergymen asking them to spread the word among their congregations.
At a news conference Wednesday in Savannah, one of Meyer's daughters spoke directly to the still-unknown driver to make an appeal for his or her surrender.
"I think it will be hard for whoever did to be able to go on and have a worthwhile life," said Deb Meyer Cohen of Oakton, Virginia. "I hope they can come forward, take responsibility and make amends."
She said: "Forgiveness is possible, but you have to take responsibility for what you've done."
Cohen said her father was traveling alone with his dog to her parents' winter home in Orchid Island, Florida, when he stopped in Savannah for the night. She said police found that he had eaten dinner at a shopping center across busy Abercorn Street from his hotel on the city's suburban south side. She said investigators told the family he was killed instantly and they suspect some time passed before his body was found.
Savannah-Chatham County police spokesman Julian Miller said Wednesday no arrests have been made in the case.