New details revealed in deadly hit-and-run crash and ensuing investigation
Authorities arrested Sidney Whitmarsh, 24, on Thursday in Clarendon, Arkansas
New details have surfaced regarding the hit-and-run incident that took the life of Edwards resident Mario Romero during the early morning hours of Jan. 7.
Authorities arrested Sidney Whitmarsh, 24, on Thursday in Clarendon, Arkansas, in connection to the fatal crash on U.S. Highway 6.
According to a warrant affidavit dated March 1, a witness saw Romero leave the Main Street Grill on a bike at approximately 1 a.m. on Jan. 7. He was reported missing after not returning home Jan. 7 and was located by the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 9 at approximately 2:23 p.m.
Romero’s body was found on the north side of Highway 6 near mile point 165.9, approximately 21 feet off the north side of the road down an embankment.
After determining that Romero was struck and killed by an unknown vehicle, the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office asked the Colorado State Patrol to take over the investigation.
Support Local Journalism
Trooper Colin Remillard investigated the crash site; Remillard has been assigned to the Colorado State Patrol’s District 4 Vehicular Crimes Unit since 2020 and has investigated 75 fatal crashes in that time.
Remillard said when he arrived on the scene, he observed numerous bits of white debris from a vehicle on the north shoulder of the road.
“I determined that the area of impact was clearly on the shoulder of the roadway and not in the lane of traffic,” Remillard said in the affidavit.
Remillard found a fog light assembly with a part number approximately 14 feet from Romero’s body. A search of that part number revealed it had come from a 2010-2012 Subaru Legacy Outback.
On Jan. 11, Remillard viewed surveillance video from the Stop N Save store at the corner of Highway 6 and Edwards Village Boulevard.
“The video shows an individual on a bike ride past the store on westbound Highway 6 at 01:18:43 hours,” Remillard said in the affidavit.
One minute later, “what appears to be a white Subaru with something on the roof is shown traveling past the store westbound on Highway 6.”
A witness report came into Colorado State Patrol on Jan. 11, as well, saying that between 5:30 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. on Jan. 9, the witness saw a vehicle with front end damage and a possible bike part stuck in the front of the car turn from Edwards Access Road onto Miller Ranch Road.
Another report came in on Jan. 14, from a Colorado State Patrol victim’s advocate who had received text messages from a member of Romero’s family who said that they had been informed that the suspect may be Sidney Whitmarsh.
“They stated that she had a vehicle matching the description of the vehicle involved and may be hidden in a garage and Ms. Whitmarsh may have fled Colorado for Alaska,” Remillard said in the affidavit.
Remillard then confirmed that Whitmarsh had a 2012 white Subaru registered to her, found the address of her apartment complex in Edwards and determined that she would have had to pass the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District plant on Lake Creek Drive to return home on Jan. 7. Remillard learned that the plant had cameras and on Jan. 16, he reviewed the plant’s footage from Jan. 7.
“At approximately 0121 hours I observed what appeared to be a white Subaru with a rooftop storage box on it and a passenger headlight out, past the plant, and pull into the apartment complex,” Remillard said in the affidavit.
Remillard then set about speaking with former employees who worked with Whitmarsh. He learned that Whitmarsh abruptly quit her job at the Boardroom Market Deli in Edwards on Jan. 7, texting a colleague to inform her that she “really messed up” the night before and may have to leave Eagle County. Another colleague of Whitmarsh’s, from her other job at Zino restaurant in Edwards, also said he had not seen her since Jan. 7.
Remillard then wrote a warrant to search the garage associated with Whitmarsh’s address in Edwards. In serving the warrant, he located Whitmarsh’s vehicle.
“I observed that there was damage to the passenger-side windshield consistent with striking a pedestrian,” Remillard said in the affidavit. “I also observed vehicle debris inside the vehicle that appeared to be the fog light housing.”
Colorado State Patrol received another tip on Jan. 21, stating that Whitmarsh had confirmed that she was driving that night and had stated that she was impaired by alcohol.
A ping to Whitmarsh’s phone on Jan. 22 revealed that the phone was in Arkansas.
Authorities arrested Whitmarsh on Thursday in Clarendon, Arkansas. She’s facing a class-3 felony for failure to remain at the scene of a crash resulting in death, a class-6 felony for tampering with physical evidence, a class-3 felony for vehicular homicide, and a class-2 misdemeanor for failure to notify the police of a traffic accident resulting in death.
An initial court appearance has not yet been set for Whitmarsh.
