Reedley police have identified a suspect in a hit-and-run crash that killed two pedestrians at Manning and Haney avenues early Tuesday morning.

During a news conference, Reedley Police Chief Marc Ediger said investigators identified the suspect as 48-year-old Omar Lopez Chavez of Reedley.

"Today I'm going to provide you with information about a suspect we have identified in this hit-and-run collision. His name is Omar Lopez Chavez. He is 48 years old and a citizen of Reedley," Ediger said.

The announcement brought some relief to the family of one of the victims, even as they continue to mourn their loss.

"It brings a lot of closure to myself and my family knowing that the person has been identified," said Robert Gutierrez, the oldest son of Luis Martinez Araujo.

According to police, detectives used video and electronic surveillance footage to trace the movements of a white Chevrolet Astro van connected to the crash.

"Through very diligent efforts, we located this van, our suspect vehicle, parked in a fruit field, near the intersection of Highway 145 and American Avenue, out near Kerman," Ediger said.

Police said the van, which was located Wednesday, had front-end damage. Investigators also determined Chavez was not alone in the vehicle at the time of the collision.

"In interviewing the folks out in the field doing the work yesterday morning, we determined that there were five passengers in this van with the gentleman, Mr. Chavez, at the time of the collision," Ediger said.

Reedley police have identified a suspect in a deadly hit-and-run crash that killed two pedestrians early Tuesday morning and are continuing to search for him.

The victims were identified as 75-year-old Luis Martinez Araujo and 78-year-old Maria Juarez Mendez. The couple was struck at about 4:45 a.m. on Tuesday.

A memorial now stands near the site where they were hit.

Gutierrez said he struggled to accept the news of his father's death.

"I was hoping it wasn't true. I'm hoping there's another Luis Araujo out there," he said.

Family members said Araujo routinely walked along pathways at Reedley Cemetery in the early morning hours.

"He would walk every day, just, as old folks do, you know, try to just keep their blood circulation, heart, keep going. It was a good routine for him," Gutierrez said.

Araujo immigrated from Mexico and worked as a farm laborer, according to relatives.

"My Tio Luis, he worked the fields of Reedley. That was his community," said his nephew, Javier Araujo Garcia.

Family members remembered him as a welcoming and energetic presence.

"He was the light of the party. He walked in a door, and everybody knew he was there. He could put a smile on your face. He could, uh, bring up the whole atmosphere of a room just by his presence," Garcia said.

If found and convicted, Chavez faces two counts of felony hit-and-run and two counts of vehicular manslaughter. Meanwhile, Araujo's family is making arrangements for his funeral.

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