‘I’m furious’: Mother of deadly hit-and-run victim says police failed
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – A heartbroken mother said she is furious with how her daughter’s death investigation is being handled.
It’s been over a year since Kimberly Benezue, 26, of Clarksville, died in a hit-and-run crash in Madison, and her mother said there has been no movement in the investigation.
Standing feet from where her daughter died, Angela Hudson wore a locket of her daughter’s ashes around her neck.
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“She had the biggest heart,” Hudson remembered.
It’s a pain that’s intensified when looking through the eyes of Benezue’s 7-year-old son.
“He walks around every day with a lanyard, with a picture of he and his mom,” Hudson explained.
Hudson said it’s a heartache that cuts deeper without closure.
“No answers. No answers,” she repeated.
The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said they tried to stop the stolen car that hit Benezue moments before the crash, but the driver took off and police decided not to give chase. The driver then ran away from the scene at Old Hickory Boulevard and Dickerson Pike in the early morning hours of Feb. 4, 2023.
“No follow up, no nothing,” Hudson said.
From the beginning, she questioned the actions of investigators that day, calling it a nightmare.
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“I don’t understand why they didn’t pursue those guys, and now because of it, my daughter’s dead,” Hudson told News 2 in an interview in 2023.
At that time, the MNPD told News 2 the stolen car was being processed for leads on the suspect. Now, more than one year later, Hudson remains desperate for answers on the investigation.
She recently reached out to police and the TBI for an update.
On Monday, April 1, she received an email from the investigating officer that said the request to the crime lab wasn’t showing in the system, and that he would need to submit the paperwork again.
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“Nothing has unfolded. He told me, ‘Oh well, we lost it in the system. So I have to resubmit the request,'” Hudson said.
A year of grief for the family has turned into outrage.
“Now I’m mad; I’m furious,” Hudson stated.
The officer told her the DNA form was requested through a newer records system and that could have been the problem. These are details the MNPD confirmed with News 2.
Hudson said that’s concerning, not only for her daughter’s case, but others.
“God only knows how many people are going through the same situation,” she said.
The MNPD said the fatal crash investigator submitted a second request to the crime lab a few months after Benezue’s death and then a third request Monday, 14 months later.
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“I did have hope and for what?” Hudson questioned.
Police told News 2 Benezue’s case is now in queue.
“I will not let this case go cold; this is my daughter we are talking about,” Hudson said.
Investigators said there may have been a passenger in the stolen car that hit Benezue.
Authorities told News 2 they haven’t received any tips from Crime Stoppers on the case. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the MNPD at 615-862-8600.
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