Lakewood mom accused of leaving infant on lawn overnight in April killed by hit-and-run driver

TACOMA, Wash. -- A woman accused of leaving her infant son on a Lakewood lawn overnight while high on drugs in April was killed by a hit-and-run driver last month, and Pierce County sheriff's detectives asked for help Friday in identifying the suspect.

Pierce County sheriff's Detective Ed Troyer confirmed that the victim, Jessica Hanson, 31, had been out on bail for abandonment from the April incident. Lakewood police said she admitted at the time that she had been doing drugs and became paranoid that someone was chasing her, so she left her 3-month-old baby on a stranger's lawn in the hope someone would find the infant. Someone did, and the child was unharmed.



Then, on May 13, Hanson was found unconscious on a Spanaway road by a passerby after she apparently had been hit by a vehicle. She later died of her injuries in a hospital on May 26.



"Deputies were able to determine that just prior to being found, Hanson had been involved in an argument at her residence," Crime Stoppers of Tacoma/Pierce County said. "Hanson walked less than six blocks from her house along 168th Street East, then is believed to have been run over by an unidentified vehicle that fled the scene."

Investigators found a fog lamp and a red and black hubcap near where she was found. They said it is unknown what type of make or model vehicle these parts came from.



Anyone with information leading to an arrest and charges could receive up to $1,000 from Crime Stoppers of Tacoma/Pierce County. Call 1-800-222-TIPS. You can remain anonymous.