Police in California are investigating the death of a homeless woman run over while sleeping on a sidewalk.
The incident happened at around 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning in Modesto, California in the 1400 block of Yosemite Avenue.
“The initial investigation does show that she was possibly run over or hit by an unknown type of vehicle. We believe it to be a tractor trailer or a semi, but we don’t know if she was deceased before the accident or if the accident caused her to die,” said Modesto Police Sgt. Kalani Souza to ABC 10.
The woman was struck on a sidewalk near an empty lot adjacent to the Modesto Rescue Mission. Many homeless people stay in the area.
80-year-old Wynama Briggs, a homeless friend of the victim, says the deceased woman’s name was Deborah, and that she was in her fifties.
“It’s cold out. She’s been out here a long time,” said Briggs of the incident.
Modesto Police are searching through surveillance video in the area and are looking for witnesses to the Wednesday morning incident. If you have any information, you are asked to call Officer Jorge Contreras at 209-342-9152.