This month marks one year since Mesquite Police began searching for the driver they say hit and killed 43-year-old Dale Thomas. And still, no arrests have been made.
It happened along Highway 80 between Big Town Boulevard and Buckner on April 11, 2021, around 9:30 p.m.
Police said the 43-year-old was hit by three different drivers, the first of whom fled the scene.
His family said the circumstances leading up to that moment remain a mystery.
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"I know I deal with this every morning, every afternoon, every night, every waking moment. This falls on my heart of what happened to my baby,” said his mother Rhoda Thomas.
Family said Thomas’ car was found abandoned on the shoulder of the highway.
When they picked it up from the impound lot after his death, they said it was out of gas, leading them to believe he’d left it in search of help at the time he was hit.
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"I'm trying to piece that puzzle together,” said his sister Dianze Smith.
Smith said they still don’t know why the father of seven was in Mesquite that night or why he was found without his phone or wallet.
Though investigators have searched for the driver, she said without video or a suspect description, their only hope for justice is that someone comes forward.
“Put yourselves in our shoes. Understand what we're going through. Feel our pain,” said Smith.
Dale's youngest daughter, who was born after his death, will never know her father.
Though answers can’t change that, the family hopes they can help them all move forward.
"Our prayer is that you come forward and just tell us exactly what happened to my child. That's my baby, my first child. And I just love and miss him so much,” said Thomas.
Those with information are asked to call the Mesquite Police Department at 972-285-6636.
