OXFORD — Town Manager Michael Chammings on Thursday night added his voice to the calls for the driver of the vehicle that killed Xavier Fuentes to come forward.
Fuentes, a 16-year-old high school student from Turner, died on Route 117 in Paris on Saturday night after he was struck by a vehicle that left the scene.
Fuentes’ mother, Sheila Cole of Greenwood, is employed as a clerk at the Town Office.
“We’re not going to stop looking until we find them,” Chammings said during Thursday evening’s Board of Selectmen meeting. “It’s going to be a lot easier on them, in my opinion, if they turn themselves in instead of having us keep looking for them.”
Paris police continue to follow leads in the investigation. On Thursday, Detective Sgt. Jeff Lange said he was talking to individuals who police have been put in touch with through the dozens of tips they have received.
Police are asking local mechanics to report anything suspicious. Lange has said a large vehicle, such as a pickup truck or an SUV, was involved in the accident.
Investigators believe Fuentes was struck around 8:30 p.m. Saturday. He had been at the Flagship Cinemas in Oxford earlier that evening, but left by himself and began walking to Turner where he was staying with his grandmother.
A passing driver found Fuentes’ body in the middle of a driving lane near the intersection of Route 117 and Brett Hill Road, about four miles from the cinema.
“It’s highly unlikely they didn’t know they hit him,” Chammings said. “They’re going to be in much better shape if they turn themselves in and give our clerk and her family some closure.”
Anyone with information or possible leads is asked to call the Paris Police Department at 207-743-7448 or email detective@parismaine.org.
pmcguire@sunjournal.com
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