INDIANAPOLIS — Lateresa Hadrick, of Indianapolis, is charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death after she allegedly hit and killed Alexandra Leal on the southwest side of Indianapolis.
On Sept. 18, Leal and her fiancé were picking up something that fell out of their truck in the 2300 block of South Lynhurst Drive, just north of Sam Jones Expressway, when a driver in a silver Toyota Camry hit Leal.
"Just picked it up out of the grass, my little daughter's, a couple socks that flew out. That's what took her life, these socks and some other paperwork," Shane Bernard said.
Leal was rushed to Eskenazi Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Using surveillance cameras, IMPD detectives were able to identify the car they thought was responsible. It was registered to Hadrick and an uninvolved man, with a temporary license plate.
According to court records, police identified the Camry because of damage and mismatched rims.
While investigating, police found that Hadrick already had two traffic citations in the silver Toyota in 2024. According to court documents, Hadrick was also involved in a hit-and-run in October 2023.
Police found the car and got a warrant to tow it. They said the Toyota emblem was missing, and the damaged windshield had been replaced.
On Oct. 7, an IMPD officer called the detective to say that Hadrick was turning herself in for the deadly crash.
According to police, Hadrick admitted she was driving the car when Leal was hit. She allegedly told police one of her contact lenses had begun to roll back in her eye. She said she was rubbing her eye when she "heard a boom." Hadrick said she didn't see anyone.
According to police, "Hadrick explained she did not know what happened and claimed she could not stop; rather than hit other cars in front of her, which were parked, she said she left."
Hadrick allegedly told police she was scared "because she thought she hit an animal or someone's car and panicked." Hadrick said she drove home but "stopped to see her mother first."
Hadrick told police she didn't realize she had hit a person until she saw the news.
In addition to leaving the scene of a deadly accident, Hadrick is charged with driving while suspended and obstruction of justice.