'Rectify Your Mistake': Family of Slain Pedestrian Pleads for Suspect to Come Forward

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The son of Barbara Mahigel, who was killed in a hit-and-run incident Sunday, has written an open letter asking the unknown motorist to come forward. Around 5:00 p.m. on Nov. 27, Mahigel was walking across Nicollet Avenue South (at the intersection of 43rd Street) when she was hit.

The victim was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center where she died the next day, according to a news release. The person who was driving the vehicle continued northbound on Nicollet Avenue South after striking the pedestrian.

Police are seeking the public’s help in either identifying the suspect or the vehicle. Information about the vehicle is limited at this time as it has only been described as a dark sedan.

Mike Mahigel, the son of Barbara Mahigel, pleaded for the suspect to come forward, saying "if my mother had accidentally struck you with her car on the evening of November 27th, she would have stopped."

Read the full letter below.

To Whom It May Concern:

I’d like you to know that if my mother had accidentally struck you with her car on the evening of November 27th, she would have stopped. She would have gotten out of her car and hoped for God’s forgiveness. She would have hurried to your side and would have held your hand as you writhed in pain, and gasped for air while lying helpless on the cold pavement. She would have prayed that you survived without serious injury and that you and your family would remain whole. She would have accepted the consequences of her actions no matter what they were. She would have lived out her years with constant guilt and in constant grief, but she would have lived knowing that she did everything she could to save you and give closure to your family.

I am begging for you to come forward and rectify your mistake. Please accept the chance to give my mother the respect she deserved and her family the closure it so desperately needs.

Mike Mahigel

Immediately following the incident, officers canvassed the area, talking to residents and business owners.

Investigators were hoping to find more witnesses or see if any surveillance video in the area may be helpful in this case.

Anyone with information is encouraged to text their tip in to 847411 (TIP411). Enter MPD, a space, and then the information.

Photo by William Bornhoft/Patch.com