Authorities Identify Suspected Hit and Run Vehicle

GREGG COUNTY — Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Jean Dark said troopers are looking for a silver or gray 2001 Dodge Durango or Dodge Dakota in connection with the hit-and-run that killed Cesar Cruz about 8:15 Monday night. Dark said the vehicle was traveling northbound on Texas 149 when the motorist struck Cesar, who was most likely in the road.

“The vehicle may have damage to the right front area, with damage to the fog lamp, headlights as well as the turn signal,” Dark said. Officials were not releasing details on the suspect they had interviewed regarding the child’s death. Investigators found parts of a headlamp at the scene that helped them identify the make and model of the vehicle involved.

Deputies were called to the boy’s residence about 6:45 p.m. Monday after family members reported him missing. Cesar’s mother, Brandie Sieger, said she had left the house to take her father to the store. Her mother was at the house watching her four children when she was notified Cesar was missing. Gregg County Sheriff’s Office deputies, responding to reports of the missing boy, found his body in a ditch on Texas 149 near Younger Road, about a mile from where he went missing.