ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Acting on a tip, St. Johns County traffic homicide detectives believe they have found the vehicle that struck and killed a bicyclist early Sunday morning. Investigators are still waiting for a break in a second hit-and-run that left a man dead in St. Johns County last weekend.
Madison Meyer, 26, of St. Augustine was found dead in the road just before 7 a.m. on Hilltop Road near Kings Estate Road. St. Johns County deputies said they found a bicycle nearby that appeared to have been struck by a vehicle.
Investigators said it appeared Meyer (pictured below) was riding south on Hilltop when he was struck by behind sometime driving early Sunday morning.
The Sheriff's Office received a tip that the vehicle involved had recently been covered with a tarp in the St. Augustine South community. Investigators watched the location until a search warrant could be obtained.
"Within a very short period of time, that vehicle had been recovered in this property, and we garnered that information," said Cmdr. Chuck Mulligan.
Detectives also interviewed the occupants of the home.
While investigators won't say what type of car it is, preliminary indications and forensic examinations made them believe it is the vehicle involved in Sunday morning's crash.
Meyer's friends and co-workers said he regularly commuted by bicycle.
While this tip appears to get detectives closer to finding who struck and killed Meyer, St. Johns County is also trying to solve a fatal second hit-and-run crash over the past few days.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Rafhel Mahese was struck by a vehicle along Interstate 95 near the County Road 207 exit on Saturday. The 37-year-old father of three had apparently gotten out of his vehicle when it was struck by a large truck or recreational vehicle that kept going.
The Sheriff's Office continues to ask for anyone who witnessed anything suspicious about either of these hit-and-run crashes is asked to call 904-209-1498 or Crime Stoppers at 888-277-TIPS.