Update: Man found dead on roadway in Rosemont identified

(FOX40.COM) — A man found dead on a roadway in east Sacramento County was identified as a Sacramento resident killed in a hit-and-run crash, the California Highway Patrol said.

Officers found a dead body Thursday night on Folsom Boulevard and La Quinta Avenue in the Rosemont area after responding to reports of a person in the roadway.

Initially, CHP said there were no indications that the person was involved in a hit-and-run.

“Units did take measurements as if it may have been a hit-and-run, but it will not be investigated as such unless the coroner’s findings say otherwise,” a CHP spokesperson said Friday. “Even the coroner had their doubts [the] night that the deceased was hit by a vehicle.”

On Monday afternoon, CHP announced that the deceased person was the victim of a hit-and-run crash. A spokesperson told FOX40 that their conclusion changed after the coroner’s report.

William Allen Spears Jr., 48, was in the roadway “outside of a marked crosswalk” when an “unknown” car struck and killed him west of Norcade Circle on Folsom Boulevard, CHP said.

After the crash, the driver didn’t stop to help Spears or contact law enforcement and instead drove away. CHP has not identified the driver or their vehicle.

CHP is currently investigating the crash and asks anyone who witnessed it or knows a witness to contact the East Sacramento office or email 260POP@chp.ca.gov.