Ann Arbor bicyclist killed in hit-and-run

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It was a cold, wet morning in Ann Arbor but the cyclist still went out. He never returned.

He was hit by a car and left to die in a ditch. By the time another driver spotted him and called 911, it was too late. The bicyclist was dead and the person responsible was gone.

Barry LaRue was the driver who found the victim. He says before 2:00 a.m. Wednesday, he was leaving work at the University of Michigan Power center of Performing arts in Ann Arbor.

As he was headed down Washtenaw, he spotted something disturbing. At first, he thought it was something to do with Halloween but he followed his instincts.

"There was just something that said to me this is not right," LaRue said. "I was a little concerned it was an accident victim. But I also thought 'well it's Halloween, maybe it's just a dummy or something'."

He stopped his truck, got out and took a closer look. That's where he made the gruesome discovery.

"It looked to me like some legs, basically, some bare feet sticking out."

He called 911 and police arrived within two minutes. They say it was a hit and run and it was so violent, the victim's backpack and shoes were found 20 feet from his lifeless body.

Ann Arbor Police Sgt. Bill Clock said the 28-year-old Pittsfield township man's bicycle was mangled.

"The area was very saturated, it was raining hard. It was dark. Rain obviously contributed to bad visibility," Clock said.

The road is rather narrow in that part of Washtenaw but Ann Arbor police say the man was close to the curb and wearing proper reflective gear.

"There was like a phosphorus and reddish jacket or pullover of some kind," LaRue said.

Police say they believe the person who hit the man was driving an Audi and may have damage to its front right corner.

"They may not have known what they hit but they know they should have known they hit something," Clock said. 

"The guy could have still been alive. It's hard to say if he died on impact or if he was live for another five minutes. The university hospital is just down the street," LaRue said.

Police are unsure if alcohol or speed is a factor and they ask anyone with information to come forward for the victim and his loved ones.