Joan Haggar

Joan Haggar (Courtesy Hamilton’s Funeral Home)

Joan Marie Haggar

Hit-and-Run Homicide

Joan Haggar
52 YOA
900 Block of E. Euclid Ave. & Cornell St.
Des Moines, IA
Polk County
February 14, 2014

 
 
At 10:54 p.m. on Valentine’s Day, 2014, Joan Haggar of Des Moines was struck by a hit-and-run driver in the 900 block of E. Euclid Avenue in Des Moines. She later died at Mercy Medical Center.

Haggar lived several blocks away from where she was hit.

hitandrun-DMR-joan-haggarCourtesy photo Special to the Register/Des Moines Police Department
Des Moines police believe the driver of this vehicle may have information regarding a fatal hit-and-run on Friday, Feb. 14, 2014.

Haggar had almost finished crossing Euclid on foot heading north on Friday night, police said, and was in the northernmost lane when the westbound vehicle hit her.

The driver did not slow down or stop after the collision, police said.

Traffic investigators spoke with a witness who provided the only vehicle description as a mid-sized car.

The Des Moines Police Traffic Unit is investigating the fatal hit and run collision and asking for help from the public in locating the suspect and his or her vehicle.

Images later retrieved from video footage show the possible suspect vehicle may be a silver or gray mid-size 4-door sedan similar in size to a Ford Taurus or Chevy Impala.

2014-2-14-fatal-hit-and-run-pccsCourtesy photo Polk County Crime Stoppers
This video surveillance footage shows the possible suspect vehicle that may have hit 52-year-old Joan Haggar around 11 p.m. Feb. 14, 2014 near the intersection of Cornell Street and Euclid Avenue.

The video surveillance footage — captured at Cornell Street and Euclid Avenue a short time after the accident took place — indicates where the suspect’s vehicle would have entered the intersection at the approximate moment following the crime.

The Des Moines Police Department asks that anyone who may have been in the area and may have seen this incident to please come forward with any information on the driver’s identity or car’s current location.

The car may have sustained damage to the front and/or windshield and may have been taken to a body shop for repairs in the days following the fatal hit-and-run.

About Joan Haggar

Joan Marie Haggar was born June 5, 1961, in Des Moines, Iowa, the daughter of James and Anita (Maras) Haggar.

Polk County in Iowa
Polk County in Iowa
 
Des Moines in Polk CountyDes Moines in Polk County

She passed away Saturday, February 15, 2014, at age 52 after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in Des Moines.

Joan was employed by Sodexo and ADP, and she enjoyed her job and coworkers. She liked dressing up and shopping and took pride in decorating her home. She enjoyed searching for bargains at thrift shops and playing gin rummy.

Survivors included her brother, Mark Haggar (Andrea) of Lincoln, Nebraska; brother, Mike Haggar (Karla) of Omaha, Nebraska; four nieces; two nephews; one great-niece; and one great-nephew.

Her parents preceded her in death.

Visitation was held from 9 to 11 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, at Hamilton’s Funeral Home, 605 Lyon Street, Des Moines, followed by a private family funeral service at 1 p.m.

Disposition: Cremation

Information Needed

Anyone with information on the location of the vehicle or identity of the driver is asked to contact the Des Moines Police Department at 515-283-4811 or Polk County Crime Stoppers anonymously at 515-223-1400.

Polk County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1000 for information leading to an arrest, and the Des Moines Police Department will match that reward for a total potential $2000 reward.

The Des Moines Police Department also requests that any auto body shops or car-tow service who may have information about a vehicle that sustained damage consistent with a collision to a human body to contact police.

Help Solve this Crime

Sources:
  • Des Moines Police Department
  • Polk County Crime Stoppers
  • New photo released in fatal hit-and-run investigation,” KCCI.com, March 14, 2014
  • Joan Haggar Obituary, Hamilton’s Funeral Home
  • “Police looking for vehicle in Des Moines fatal hit-and-run investigation,” by Katherine Klingseis, Des Moines Register, March 14, 2014
  • “Tips roll in on fatal hit and run, no suspects identified,” by Regina Zilbermints, Des Moines Register, March 10, 2014
  • “DM Police searching for possible suspect vehicle involved in fatal hit-and-run,” by Lillian Schrock, The Des Moines Register, Feb. 28, 2014
  • “Police investigating tips in fatal hit and run; reward offered,” by Regina Zilbermints, The Des Moines Register, Feb. 27, 2014
  • “Police asking for help in finding vehicle that may have been near or involved in fatal hit and run,” by Katherine Klingseis, The Des Moines Register, Feb. 20, 2014
  • “Police following tips in fatal hit and run,” by Regina Zilbermints, The Des Moines Register, Feb. 18, 2014
  • Reward offered for information in fatal hit-and-run,” KCCI.com, Feb. 16, 2014
  • “Reward Offered for Information in Fatal Hit-and-Run,” KCRG.com, Feb. 16, 2014
  • “Update: Hit and run victim identified, reward offered,” by Sharyn Jackson, The Des Moines Register, Feb. 15, 2014
  • Joan Marie Haggar (1961 – 2014) — Find a Grave Memorial

11 Responses to Joan Haggar

  1. bob says:

    let there be light

    • Jenny says:

      I agree. My mom used to have an early 90’s Buick Park Ave Ultra that was white and this car looks exactly like it!

  2. Living with the guilt, would be terrible… They will be judged on a higher level…

  3. It is really hard to believe that with the clear picture of the vehicle no one has identified it.

  4. So sad. I’m praying for justice.

  5. Diana Wilson says:

    Oh, that’s what I thought, too. Penny. So sad. Must’ve been drunk or under the influence. Worse if they get caught now.

  6. Someone really needs to come forward. This is so very sad and heart breaking. My heart and thoughts and prayers for the family and friends.

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