Police announced they have arrested and charged the hit-and-run driver who struck a Mundelein mother, killing her and her unborn baby, in Waukegan Sunday evening.
An autopsy performed Monday showed that Michelle Heidbrick, 36, of Mundelein, died as a result of blunt force injuries as a result of a vehicle crash, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.
The Waukegan Police Department and Waukegan Fire Department responded around 9:34 p.m. Sunday to the area of Grand Avenue and Jackson Street for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries.
Emergency crews arrived and found a pedestrian, later identified as Heidbrick, who had been hit by a vehicle.
Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Craig Neal said Heidbrick was found lying unresponsive in the westbound lane of Grand Avenue.
Lifesaving measures were performed by paramedics on the critically injured woman.
An ambulance transported Heidbrick to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan where she was pronounced dead in the emergency room. Her unborn baby also died.
Neal said the vehicle involved fled the scene before officers arrived.
A witness told officers that Heidbrick was crossing Grand Avenue southbound when she was struck by the car. The vehicle fled without stopping.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office responded to the hospital around 11 p.m. and took possession of Heidbrick.
Grand Avenue was completely shut down late Sunday evening as investigators worked at the scene, which was cordoned off by crime scene tape.
Neal said in an update that the offending vehicle and driver were identified on Tuesday.
The driver was identified as Rosalinda Vaca, 49, of Waukegan.
Vaca told investigators she was driving a black 2016 Land Rover SUV when she struck something in the roadway.
Vaca said she did not know what it was but later learned that a pedestrian had been fatally struck in the same area, Neal said.
Vaca surrendered to the police and was charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death, a Class 1 felony.
She is being held for a First Appearance Court hearing. The Land Rover has been seized for the ongoing investigation.
The victim’s sister, Nicole Heidbrick, told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that Michelle Heidbrick was 22 weeks pregnant with a boy at the time of her death.
Her sister said that Michelle was the mother of an 18-year-old son and had seven nieces and a nephew.
“She loved to joke around a lot. She was always making people laugh. Michelle was looking forward to starting the next chapter in her life,” Nicole Heidbrick said.
The family created a GoFundMe account to help raise money for the funeral expenses.