Mom of hit-and-run victim: 'I'm not going to give up'

Mother still seeks justice for son killed in hit-and-run crash 2 years ago

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two years ago Monday, a local man was hit by a car and died while walking in the Dinsmore area. Investigators still have no leads or witnesses in the hit-and-run crash.

Michael England's mother, Bridget Massie, said she is still hopeful that someone with answers will come forward.

Massie said her son's case was recently highlighted on a Project Cold Case website. She said she's trying to get the word out so that someone somewhere who knows something will speak up.

"It's very devastating," Massie said. "It's been two years today that I got a knock on my door that my son was found here."

Michael England

England (pictured) was 25 when he was struck, then run over, by a car while walking home on Pitts Road. His body was later discovered by a neighbor on the side of the road.

"What do I know today? I just know that he was hit by a vehicle that has fled the scene. What type of vehicle? I'm not sure," Massie said.

News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said that with no leads or witnesses, England's case will be difficult to solve.

"If someone knows someone who was in that area at that time, and they have damage on that vehicle, it would be best to go ahead and call police even though you think it may not be the person," Smith said. "Call police, let them come out and investigate it and see if the evidence they have at the scene may match up with that person's vehicle."

Family and friends remain hopeful for closure and justice for England.

"I keep believing that someone's going to do the right thing," Massie said. "Whether it takes five years, whether it takes 10 years. Me, as a mother, I'm not going to give up."

Gov. Rick Scott signed legislation last year that enhances the penalties for leaving the scene of a crash, making it a second-degree felony and requiring a mandatory minimum four-year sentence for a driver convicted of leaving the scene of a deadly crash.

Even after two years, those closest to England said they don't go a day without thinking about what a great man he was.

"He's like my brother. We grew up together," Ashley Morrison said. "He liked to hunt. He liked to go mudding. He liked to hang out with friends."

"He would give a shirt off his back for someone, so it's hard to think someone could do something like this and not come forward," Stacy Beard said.

Massie said she plans to hold a vigil for her son Monday night at her home in Dinsmore. She said that if anyone knows anything, it's crucial that they contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.