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SOUTH SALT LAKE — A West Valley man faces a criminal charge in connection with the death of a woman who fell out of the car he was driving two years ago and failing to notify police of the incident.
Omar Luis-Santiago, 32, was charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court with leaving the scene of an accident involving death, a third-degree felony.
On Sept. 25, 2020, police received multiple calls of a woman being hit by several cars on I-215 near 3800 South about 12:30 a.m. The woman, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was identified as 31-year-old Veronica Tapia of West Valley City.
About two hours after Tapia's body was discovered, her husband called police to tell them that Luis-Santiago was driving her home from work that night and arrived at his house without saying that Tapia has fallen out of the car, according to charging documents.
Detectives went to the husband's home and reported finding the vehicle Luis-Santiago was driving. Inside the car, police said they found items belonging to Tapia, as well as Luis-Santiago's cellphone. After serving a warrant on the phone, it was determined that Luis-Santiago never called 911 after Tapia fell out of the car, according to the charges.
It was not immediately known Wednesday why it took nearly two years to file the charges.
