Update: Sumner Police announced an anonymous donor is offering $5,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, prosecution and conviction of the subject of this investigation.
Rachel Givens, 23, was killed by a hit-and-run driver 11 p.m. Oct. 5 while she was attempting to cross East Valley Highway in the 2700 block.
The vehicle, which surveillance indicates was a small, dark-colored sedan or sports car, was traveling northbound. The Sumner Police Department continues to investigate, but a specific suspect has not been identified as of the press deadline.
Givens was a member of the Navajo Nation of the Bitter Water Clan and a 2008 graduate of Auburn Riverside High School. She played soccer and basketball. She attended Cochise College and afterwards became a soccer coach and paraeducator for the Muckleshoot Tribal School.
“Love. Love. Love. That’s what Rachel would say and that’s what Rachel did,” said Sarah Franklin, a lifelong friend of the Givens. “Some people go their whole life without knowing love; without knowing a Rachel. Some of us catch a glimpse, a fleeting moment in which we can feel the light envelope our souls. I am lucky enough to have felt that love and to see that love touch every person who knew Rachel Lucy Givens.”
A few days before she died, Givens purchased brand new cleats and gear for the soccer team she coached. Franklin said Givens donated all of her organs so others may receive the chance to live.
“Her family and I don’t think too much about the person that did this,” Franklin said. “We aren’t angry at the person and I never could be. Anger is such a terrible feeling and Rachel wouldn’t want us to be angry. What we want is the person who hit her to do what’s best for their conscience.”
According to Sumner Deputy Chief Jeff Engel, the police are doing everything they can to find the person responsible. At this stage of the investigation, they are hoping to acquire enhancement of the surveillance video from an outside agency. Detectives are monitoring the tip line to eliminate possible suspects. The vehicle likely sustained damage to the front end and/or windshield, which could help identify it.
“In cases like this, we rely heavily on witnesses,” Engel said. “Sadly we just don’t have a lot of them. (The video) does show about the same time she was hit, a southbound vehicle slowed down but didn’t stop. That person hasn’t come forward yet.”
Citizens with any information regarding the hit and run are encouraged to leave a message for detectives at the tip line, 253-299-5678 (253-299-TIPS).
