Jacksonville authorities have arrested 41-year-old Karlotta Dowdy in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident that resulted in the death of 17-year-old Alaysha Williams, a student-athlete at Ed White High School. The tragic event occurred on the morning of September 30, when Williams was struck by multiple vehicles while crossing Blanding Boulevard at Cedar Hills Boulevard.
Following the accident, Williams was transported to a hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries days later. Two of the drivers involved in the incident stopped and cooperated with the investigation, and because Williams was not in a crosswalk, they were not charged. However, traffic homicide investigators later discovered that a third vehicle had fled the scene.
Detectives reviewed footage from a nearby business, which captured the driver of the third vehicle stopping several blocks away to inspect for damage before leaving the scene, abandoning Williams’ backpack. With assistance from the public and JSO’s Real Time Crime Center, detectives identified Dowdy as the driver of the vehicle.
Initially, Dowdy denied striking Williams, claiming instead that she had collided with another car. However, evidence indicated that she should have known she hit a person. After thorough investigation and collaboration with the State Attorney’s Office, a warrant was issued for Dowdy’s arrest on the charge of Leaving the Scene of a Crash Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury.
The investigation revealed that Dowdy’s vehicle was the second of three to strike Williams. Although it remains unclear which vehicle caused the fatal injuries, video evidence suggested that Dowdy’s vehicle inflicted significant harm. On Friday, officers from District 4 apprehended Dowdy at her residence without incident, and she was booked into the Duval County Jail.
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