SO Tragic...

Police Close In On Easter Hit-and-Run Car


FULTON COUNTY, Ga. -- Four days after a tragic hit-and-run crash that claimed the lives of five people Fulton County Police are hot on the trail of the car and driver of the car that may have caused the crash.

Police say investigators are making significant progress trying to find the car and driver, who may be a female.

Police have updated the description of a BMW they are looking for. Fulton County Police Detective Melissa Parker said "We were able to narrow the scope of the search to a 1995 to 1999, 740 or possibly a 750-Series BMW."

Detective Parker says the color of the car is cashmere beige. She says it will have significant damage to the front driver side of the car and to the undercarriage.

Robert Carter, 39, Delisia Carter, 38, their 9-year old daughter Kayla and 2-month old son Ethan were on an Easter Sunday drive when the Carter's Mercedes collided with the BMW on Camp Creek Parkway.

The Mercedes crossed the grass median and struck a Volkswagen driven by Tracy Johnson, 43, of Atlanta. The four members of the Carter family were killed. Tracy Johnson was critically injured and her 6-year old daughter was killed in the crash.

Detective Parker says investigators found several pieces of the suspect car at the crash site after it side-swiped the Mercedes.

Fulton County Police took the pieces to a BMW dealership which was able to narrow down the make, model and year of the car. They were also able to determine the lot number of the paint used on the car.

Police say they are focusing their search for the car down to neighborhoods near the crash site. One of the pieces of the car found at the crash site was a piece of the oil pan. The dealership told police the car would have been leaking oil and unable to drive very far from the scene.

With that information and a handful of tips about possible sightings of the car police are watching specific houses where residents said they saw the car. They believe it might be hidden behind closed garage doors.

And now 11-Alive News has learned the GBI is helping Fulton County Police by researching tag numbers of cars fitting the suspect vehicle description. The GBI is compiling a list of cars registered to addresses in Fulton County and near Fulton County.

"The GBI has a way of narrowing it between cities, local areas, and we do believe it's a local vehicle and that would be a good place to start," Detective Parker said.

Detective Parker says there are probably more than a thousand vehicles fitting the description registered in the county.

Investigators will take the list from the GBI and start with those registered closest to the crash site and work outward, according to police.

In the meantime, Detective Parker says they still want the public to stay alert and call them with any sightings of the car. Anyone with information about the car should call 404-612-5314.