By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Family members of a Reserve woman killed in a hit-and-run accident in LaPlace last year continue to hold out hope that someone will come forward with more information regarding the accident.

Family members of Dione Duhe, 36, who was struck by a dark colored 1994 to 1998 Ford Mustang while trying to cross Airline Highway on foot in the early morning hours of Oct. 14, 2009, said they have worked hard to keep the case from going cold.

“We know State Police is still actively working it, but they no nothing new,” said Nicole Williams, one of Duhe’s aunts. “We keep up regular conversation, but it hasn’t turned up much.”

According to a release from State Police, Duhe had arrived early to a medical appointment at a LaPlace dialysis center and decided to cross the street to a nearby store to grab a drink and a newspaper around 5:45 a.m. Witnesses said Duhe stepped right into the path of the vehicle, which was traveling westbound on Airline in the left lane.

The report said the driver, who has not been identified, struck Duhe near the intersection of Belle Pointe Boulevard and Airline Highway and continued to drive westbound on Airline. Duhe was transported to River Parishes Hospital in LaPlace, where she later died.

State Police investigators were able to recover fragments from the vehicle’s front bumper and blinker light, but have very little else to go on.

“It’s very frustrating,” Williams said. “They describe it as a ‘dark colored’ mustang, but we have learned that dark can mean a very wide range of colors. No matter how many vehicles we see or how many license plates we take down, nothing ever comes up.”

State Police investigators said Monday the case is still active, but there are few leads. Investigators have accessed surveillance video from a nearby store, but the video does not document the accident. It only captures the vehicle.

Williams and another aunt, Mechelle Stanton, said they are exhausting all avenues to try to continue to keep the case active. The family is planning to post flyers Thursday to mark the one-year anniversary and is also considering purchase of a billboard somewhere in the parish. The family has also turned to the Internet to spread information via social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook.

“I often post things on Facebook about the incident and the case, and we are looking to create a group for her,” said Stanton. “The police have told us how valuable the Internet can be in solving cases. Somebody has to know something. Something has to eventually come out.”

Both Stanton and Williams said the family just wants some closure. They want to know what happened that night and determine who is responsible.

“It’s hard knowing that someone is out there who knows what happened,” Williams said. “We miss her very much.”

Anyone who may have information on the accident is asked to contact Trooper David Easley at State Police Troop B at 504-471-2775, or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.