There were at least two other Good Samaritans at the scene of the fatal hit-and-run crash that took the lives of 26-year-old Lorraine Cruz and 30-year-old Charlene Reaveley, and Mounties are pleading with them to come forward.
Speaking at the scene of the Feb. 19 incident that began when Reaveley, assisting the occupants of a single-vehicle accident, was killed alongside Cruz by an alleged hit-and-run driver, RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Peter Thiessen said there were others who stopped to help just moments before the two women were struck near the intersection of Lougheed Highway and Pitt River Road in Coquitlam.
Police are looking for the occupants of a white 2008 Chevrolet Uplander who reportedly stopped and met Cruz, her boyfriend Paulo Calimahin, Reaveley and her husband Dan.
"They stopped to see if they could assist. They then determined there wasn't a need for them to remain and they left the scene," Sgt. Thiessen said. "It was after they left the scene that the second crash occurred resulting in the deaths of these two ladies.
"We really need the occupants and the driver of this van who stopped and spoke to these two ladies and others who may have been at the scene to make contact with our office."
While Cory Sater, 37, of Coquitlam, is in custody facing charges of impaired driving causing death and leaving the scene of an accident, Thiessen said the Uplander's occupants likely have information to help the Crown's case.
"With this type of investigation, the easy part initially is identifying who we feel is responsible for this particular incident. The hard work comes in gathering the appropriate evidence to support our allegations and support the charges."
The RCMP's request for more information drew questions from reporters about the initial accident in which Cruz and Calimahin hit a cement guard-rail with their Nissan Pathfinder shortly after 12:30 a.m. Chief among those were whether speed or alcohol could have been factors in their crash.
But Thiessen wouldn't answer those questions, nor would he provide information about whether investigators are trying to determine, by talking to the Outlander's occupants, Cruz's condition prior to her being struck and killed.
"We feel they could provide something that we're looking for. Without getting into the details, we feel there may be something they can provide us that's going to allow us to further the investigation, but I'm not in the position to comment directly on what we're hoping they might be able to provide," he said.
He added that 10 Mounties from the RCMP's serious crimes division and five additional RCMP traffic investigators are working on the case and have executed a number of search warrants as part of their investigation.
The Mounties are also calling upon anyone who may have witnessed Cruz's accident or the subsequent hit-and-run, including those who spoke with investigators in the immediate aftermath of the crash but failed to give police their contact information, to call 604-552-7383.
Meanwhile, Sater will appear in Port Coquitlam court by video Thursday to set a date for his bail hearing on the 10 charges against him in the deaths of Cruz and Reaveley.
