Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Las Vegas family struggles with death of loved one in unsolved hit-and-run case

Dillon

Ricardo Torres-Cortez

Airreyata Dillon holds her baby while speaking to reporters on Monday, Oct. 14, 2019, about her mother, Jacqueline Dillon, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver April 3 near Charleston and Nellis boulevards.

Dillon family

Am'Unique looks on Oct. 14, 2019, as Metro Police speak about the death of her grandmother, Jacqueline Dillon, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver on April 3. Launch slideshow »

The simple thought of her mother’s death still makes Airreyata Dillon’s stomach uneasy.

Jacqueline Dillon was struck by a hit-and-run driver April 3 as she walked in northeast Las Vegas, an incident Airreyata Dillon thinks about daily. It keeps her up at night.

Airreyata’s 8-year-old daughter, Am’Unique, who was walking with grandma, was physically unscathed but watched the woman die. The child has also lost many nights of sleep to nightmares.

The driver of the Toyota Corolla not only left a young child — then 7 years old — alone to witness death, but also stole Jacqueline Dillon’s survival chances had that person rendered aid or called 911, Metro Police Lt. Greg Munson said.

That driver has gone unidentified.

“When you leave and leave someone to die, that’s not a mistake — that’s a conscious decision that you made after the fact,” Munson said.

Munson was joined Monday by three of Jacqueline Dillon’s grandchildren, including Am’Unique, near the scene of the tragedy. Police are determined to bring justice to the grieving family, hoping their efforts drum up interest in the case, or that someone who may have witnessed the crime comes forward with information.

The crash was reported about 11:30 p.m. on Charleston Boulevard, near Nellis Boulevard, police said.

The Toyota, later identified through fragment parts and blurry surveillance video as an S-model Corolla, was heading east on Charleston when it collided with Jacqueline Dillon, who was jaywalking. The car continued eastbound without stopping. Jacqueline died at the scene.

If thinking about her mother is unsettling, standing mere feet from where she took her last breath on Monday was gut-wrenching for Airreyata. Lacking a vehicle, she had to walk to the event, hauling her baby in a stroller for the short walk.

“She didn’t deserve to die like that, at least they could have stopped, that probably could have saved her life, but instead they kept going. And my daughter, she has to live with that for the rest of her life,” Dillon said.

Am’Unique's school has offered counseling, but Dillon says they lack transportation to get to the appointments.

A native of Louisiana, Jacqueline Dillon relocated to Las Vegas area with her children so long ago that her daughter could not remember what year.

She was a master in the kitchen, whether it was cooking chicken, different types of spaghetti, greens, jams and seafood. She loved to make it all, and her daughter liked to help.

Airreyata Dillon lost her father four years ago, so being parentless has been a difficult path to navigate, she said. But she cherishes the lessons of her mother, especially in treating others with kindness.

“She loved people,” said the daughter, noting that there was so much she wanted to say that words were hard to come by.

Anyone with information is asked to call Metro at 702-828-4060. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or online at crimestoppersofnv.com.