A 59-year-old man who died at the start of the year from causes that were not immediately clear turned out to be the victim of a hit-and-run after he fell down on a Menifee street, and police Tuesday were asking anyone who might have information to come forward.
Douglas Calvin Andrews of Menifee was fatally injured on Dec. 30 in the area of Eller Way and Antelope Road, according to the Menifee Police Department.
The agency said an autopsy completed earlier this month by Riverside County Coroner’s Office pathologists uncovered “severe bruising to the victim’s torso, and injuries consistent with internal trauma from being struck by a motor vehicle.”
The findings had not been known previously, police said, changing the fatality from an unattended death to a potential vehicular manslaughter.
“At this time, investigators believe Andrews was the victim of a hit-and-run traffic collision,” according to the MPD.
The agency said that shortly before 7 p.m. on Dec. 30, patrol officers were called to Eller Way, in a residential area formerly known as Romoland, after receiving reports from passersby that a man was lying in the roadway, possibly asleep.
“Officers arrived on scene and made contact with Andrews, and based on statements from individuals at the scene, including Andrews’ associates, it was reported that he had been consuming alcohol,” the agency stated. “Andrews did not report suffering from any injuries and indicated he wanted to go to bed.”
Acquaintances of the victim told patrolmen they would take him home, only a couple of blocks away, at which point officers departed, according to police.
Early on the afternoon of New Year’s Day, the police department was notified of an “unattended death inside a residence in the 28000 block of Blue Diamond Lane, where they found Andrews deceased,” the agency said.
Without knowing with certainty what might have caused his death, Andrews’ remains were, per police procedure, turned over to the coroner’s office for a complete autopsy. That process was evidently delayed due to the limited availability of medical examiners in the county.
Anyone with information about Andrews’ death was urged to contact detectives at 951-723-1656.