LEANDER, Texas — Leander police announced on Oct. 2 that they have identified a suspect in the fatal hit and run of a motorcyclist and father of five. However, they say no arrest has been made and they are choosing to withhold his identity as the investigation continues.
Police said they are also working with the Williamson County District Attorney's Office to ensure that all relevant evidence is obtained and the case is investigated to its fullest before charges are filed.
The Leander Police Department had previously located the vehicle of the suspect who is accused of leaving the scene of an accident after he allegedly struck and killed a motorcyclist last month.
A plea from the victim's wife is asking for the person that killed her husband, 34-year-old Danny Hankins, to come forward.
"Danny loved to ride, and had been interested in motorcycles since he was a kid," said his wife Aleisha Hankins.
The two had been married for three years and were together for eight. Aleisha said he was the only man she had loved since her first husband, Aaron, died in a car accident eleven years ago. She had two daughters.
"He stepped in and told them that he would never take Aaron's place, that it wasn't what he was here for. That he was just here to love on them and to be there because Aaron couldn’t,” said Aleisha.
Danny, who had three kids of his own, swept Aleisha off her feet and treated her right, she said. Together, they formed the “Special Seven.”
On Sept. 23, exactly eleven years after her first husband’s death, Aleisha got the devastating news that Danny had been killed by another driver. He was hit just before midnight near the intersection of Palmera Ridge Boulevard and Ronald W. Reagan Boulevard in Leander. The driver of the truck left the scene.
"I no longer have my best friend, my kids no longer have their dad, and they're so young,” said Aleisha, crying. "The girls won't have their dad teasing them about their first dates and walking them down the aisle.”
PHOTOS: Father of 5 killed in Leander hit-and-run
A Christian, Aleisha says she doesn’t wish anything bad on the driver responsible. However, she does want them to step forward and accept responsibility for what they did. She also wants the driver to know the impact of their decisions.
Police said the suspect's vehicle was located and taken into custody for safekeeping Monday night.
Based on witness accounts, police believe the truck stopped briefly at the scene but fled. Danny was transported to St. David's Round Rock Medical Center, where he later died.
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Police said the truck reportedly turned from Palmera Ridge into the path of the motorcycle, which was traveling southbound on Ronald Reagan. The motorcycle collided with the rear of the truck.
Police are actively investigating this case. The LPD asks anyone with more information to call them at 512-528-2800 and to refrain from posting any information on social media.