Emma Lopez was on her way home on Dec. 2, 2018 from the same Galleria hotel where she had worked for 28 years.
She walked the same route she had walked so many times before, from the bus stop down Corporate Drive. As she crossed at Stroud, she was hit by a driver who appeared to have run the stop sign.
Her injuries were fatal.
She was less than a block from the southwest Houston home where lived with her daughter for decades.
“Yes, my mom and me. I miss her too much,” said her daughter, through tears.
The female driver who hit Lopez stopped for a short time. Video from a neighbor’s camera shows her getting out of her small, dark-colored SUV.
She walks toward Lopez and convulses. She gets back inside and turns on her hazard lights. She drives a few feet, stops and then leaves for good.
Houston police released the video Monday. They are asking for the public’s help in identifying her. The victim’s daughter wants to know one thing.
“If I had the opportunity to talk to her, yes, I would ask, ‘Why wouldn’t you call 911 right away’ and maybe my mom would be here with me,” said the daughter, who asked to remain anonymous.
Lopez was 68 years old. She had hoped to move back to Mexico to live with her 81-year-old mother and enjoy the rest of her life.
Instead, her family grieves while the driver is free.
“We’re looking for justice.”
Anyone with information on the deadly hit-and-run or the identity of the driver is urged to contact HPD’s Hit and Run Unit at 713-247-4065 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
An anonymous tip can also be submitted online at www.Crime-Stoppers.org.
