CORAL GABLES, Fla. (WSVN) — A woman who police suspected was involved in a fatal hit and run back in March, turned herself in Tuesday morning.
The new development in the months old case came as Joy Clayton surrendered to police. She is accused of hitting 52-year-old Ana Mares as Mares tried to cross the street near Brickell Bay Drive on March 22.
Mares, a cancer survivor and mother, died on the scene just after having dinner with her sister.
According to witnesses, Clayton briefly stopped in her black Mazda and then fled the scene.
Police said Clayton originally tried to turn herself in days after the crash but because there was not enough evidence at the time to have a strong case against her, she was not arrested. "From the very beginning we had missing pieces of the actual case and once we came across a crucial clue, which was the car, we took it from there and that is why we had enough to arrest Joy Clayton," said Miami Police Officer Kenia Reyes.
Family members were left frustrated when authorities couldn't make the arrest at first. "We can't understand how something like this happened," said Adriana Mares. "A person can be here and then in a split second be gone and the person who actually was involved could just go on living like nothing."
Clayton has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death. She has since bonded out of jail.
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