| From WTOP 103.5FM Radio wtopnews.com
11/19/08:
Hank Silverberg, WTOP Radio
ARLINGTON, Va. - A Marine who died Nov. 8 on Route 110 was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver, police say.
Now police are asking for help in the investigation.
Pvt. Maddison Peterson, who served in the Presidential Guard Unit, celebrated his 22nd birthday just four days before his death.
The night Peterson died the driver of a sports car stopped and called police after running over the Oregon man on Route 110 northbound under the Interstate 395 overpass.
"For one week, we were under the impression that the vehicle that struck Mr. Peterson was the only vehicle involved in the accident," says Arlington Det. Crystal Nosal.
But after further investigation and autopsy, it became apparent to police that the driver who stopped wasn't the first to strike Peterson.
"It became apparent the injuries he received came from a larger vehicle."
Nosal says it's possible the vehicle involved was a sport utility vehicle, but police do not have a description of the vehicle.
Police are asking anyone who may have seen Peterson walking along Route 110 or who may have seen the accident to call them.
"We would like for the driver who might have been involved and didn't realize he struck a person to come forward," Nosal says.
When Peterson was struck, he was wearing a black T-shirt, blue jeans and black shoes.
Arlington is being assisted by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. NCIS is offering a $2,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
NCIS has a tip line set up. The number to call is 202-579-7920. The Arlington Police tip line's number is 703-228-4050.
(Copyright 2008 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.) |
| The Oregonian oregonlive.com
11/18/08:
Maddison Peterson, dead in Virginia
Posted by mfrancis November 18,
Updated and boosted: Arlington police now are saying that it was a hit-and-run, and they hope witnesses will come forward. Here's a link to the story from WTOP Radio, which was kind enough to alert me to this update.
***
Nobody seems to know yet what happened to 22-year-old Maddison Peterson of Troutdale, a Marine whose body was found on a highway in Arlington, Va. He was a member of a presidential guard unit.
Services are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Tue., Nov. 18 at Covenant Christian Church in The Dalles. |
| The Oregonian oregonlive.com
11/14/08:
Portland-area Marine found dead in Northern Virginia
Posted by Scott Nelson, The Oregonian November 14, 2008 22:40PM
Authorities in Arlington, Va., are investigating the death of a 22-year-old Marine from Troutdale whose body was found lying on a highway there last weekend.
Pfc. Maddison Peterson, a former Sam Barlow High School football player whose coach remembers him as "one of the most gifted athletes I have ever worked with," had been stationed at Marine Barracks Washington in Washington, D.C. His mother, Pam Peterson, said he had been assigned to a presidential guard unit in the nation's capital.
Peterson said the Naval Criminal Investigative Service is looking into her son's death as a possible homicide, although the agency didn't return phone calls Friday to confirm that. Detective Crystal Nosal, a spokeswoman for the Arlington County Police Department, said police are treating the case as a hit-and-run and are attempting to locate witnesses.
Maddison Peterson had a "big heart for his country," his mother said Friday. "He's a very true American boy."
Around 9:15 p.m. on Nov. 8, a driver called 9-1-1 reporting he had hit a man lying in the highway in the Crystal City area area of Arlington, Nosal said. Peterson had been lying in the left lane of State Route 110 near the Interstate 395 overpass when he was run over by a sports car.
He was pronounced dead at a local hospital about 45 minutes later.
Authorities said they believe Peterson was probably hit by another vehicle before the sports car. The latter had an undamaged hood and, police believe, did not generate the bulk of Peterson's injuries, which appeared to have been caused by a much larger vehicle.
Arlington police are distributing posters, hoping anyone who may have seen Peterson before the incident will help them piece together the evening's events.
On the West Coast, Peterson's friends and family on Friday mourned the loss of a Marine and aspiring model whom they remember as an "all-around athlete" who "loved his country and always wore a smile."
"When I was having a bad day, he'd always know what to say," said friend Ryan Downs, 24, of Portland. "He's touched so many lives and has affected so many people."
Bruce Schmidt, Barlow's assistant principal and one of Peterson's former football coaches, said the 2005 graduate played football, golf and track -- and was good enough in football to be recruited by NCAA Division II Western Oregon University.
Peterson said her son decided not to play at WOU, and instead took classes at Mt. Hood Community College and Columbia Gorge Community College before joining the Marine Corps in 2007.
Earlier this year, Maddison Peterson had signed a contract with New York City-based B1 Model Management. He recently auditioned for clothing company Abercrombie & Fitch, said Kevin Holloman, his New York agent, and "they liked him and wanted to use him. I wanted to surprise him (with the news), but I never got to tell him."
Peterson's funeral, themed, "Welcome to Maddison's living room," is 7 p.m. Monday at City Bible Church, 9200 N.E. Fremont St. in Portland. His mother said the family plans to stage the church like a living room with oversized comfy chairs for people to sit in while sharing stories.
A second service will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Covenant Christian Community Church, 2630 E. 18th St., The Dalles.
Remembrances can be made to the Maddison Peterson Athletic Scholarship at Sam Barlow High School.
-- Michelle Roberts of The Oregonian contributed to this report.
-- Desiree Aflleje |
