DENVER — This weekend marks six years since a man was hit and killed while walking in downtown Denver. It's been agony for his 71-year-old mother, who said closure remains elusive.
"It's not easy. No, it's not easy at all," Diane Scholtes said.
Her apartment has become a growing memorial for her son, Christian McDonald, who was homeless back in 2017.
"When he came to see me, he took what he needed, took a shower, took a bath, whatever he wanted. And I cooked a meal for him. Then the last time I saw him, he said he's going to bring me flowers and come to see me. That's when he died," she said.
At 2:15 a.m. on January 15, 2017, he was crossing 16th and Blake against the light when he was hit by a Black BMW 600 series. The car didn't stop. The driver did not help McDonald or wait until police arrived—all things that are required by law.
"The impact was so bad. The mirror fell off by my son as he was dying. That's all [police] told me. And that's it. No information. No nothing. No update. Nothing. The police there missed it. Something's missing," Scholtes said.
She has pleaded with the public over the years and all this time later, it's taken a toll.
"Every year it gets worse because it escalates. You don't know who killed your son. That's my son. I'm burying my son," Scholtes said. "It's pretty rough on me. I am disconnected and I am in a fog. I wake up and try to smile and I have so many issues."
While it's been more than half a decade since her son was killed, she knows someone out there knows exactly what they did or who did it.
"Just come forward. I'm 71 years old. Please come forward. Nobody, no mother should live like this," Scholtes said.
If you have any information that could help, please get in touch with Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. You could earn a cash reward and you can remain anonymous.
