Astro van killed Lake Stevens girl in May hit-and-run, automaker says

With the help of General Motors, the State Patrol believes it has identified the type of vehicle responsible for a hit-and-run crash that killed a teenage girl near Everett in May.

Heather Trickler, 15, was walking east on the shoulder of Highway 2 near Home Acres Road around 10:15 p.m. May 30 when she was struck, according to the State Patrol. The girl died at the scene, and her body was discovered the following day.

Debris collected at the crash site appeared to be from a General Motors vehicle, but without any eyewitnesses, investigators were unsure what type of vehicle was responsible, State Patrol spokesman and trooper Keith Leary said today. Investigators shipped photos of the debris at the scene to General Motors, something that has been done before but only in what Leary called "extreme cases."

"We had one person who thought they saw a pickup truck or an SUV, so there was no concrete evidence or a license plate," Leary said.

State Patrol investigators heard from General Motors on Thursday. Through the photographs, the hit-and-run vehicle was identified as a blue-over-tan 1995 GMC Astro van. Until now, troopers had believed the hit-and-run vehicle could be a bluish-green General Motors pickup or SUV in the 1994 to 1999 model years.

Leary said it's unclear why the Lake Stevens teen was walking along the stretch of highway near Ebey Island at night.

Anyone with information regarding the crash is asked to call the Washington State Patrol at 360-658-2588.

Information from The Associated Press is included in this report.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com