WAVE 3 TV Louisville, KY | Family of hit & run victim hoping for answers

Family of hit & run victim hoping for answers

By Connie Leonard - bio | email
Posted by Charles Gazaway - email

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - As people around Kentuckiana have been counting their blessings this holiday week, a Louisville man is reaching out to the public. On November 20, Dan Papapietro lost his wife, Dini, after a hit and run driver killed the beloved mother as she was crossing Baxter Avenue. Before her memorial service held Friday, he asked for help from the public.

"We're hurting inside and coming forward and talking about what happened helps bring closure to this," said Dan.

It was only one week ago when Dan's world fell apart. Dini had just dropped off their 11-year-old daughter, Sela, for a function at Gilda's Club when the 37-year-old mom was struck and killed as she crossed Baxter Avenue near Rogers Street. The white 1990's minivan that hit her took off. Police believe it could have extensive damage to the front.

Dan said his wife was a wonderful person and someone he and his young daughter will miss very much.

"There's no certainty in the future," Dan said. "I'm going to home, which was her home. I'm realizing that more and more each day that everything has her touch and uh, I miss her, I miss her."

Dan says the community has been so giving to his family since the tragedy and he wanted to give some insight into who his wife was. The couple met in Dini's native Indonesia where she was a model. But those who know her best say all the beauty was inside.     

"Dini reached out to all of us without prejudice and a desire to embrace us all," said Dan.

According to Dan, his wife loved helping others, was a free spirit and knew how to just smile and enjoy life.

"I'll miss her easy laugh when she's on the phone with her Indonesian girlfriends. Her hours upon hours on YouTube and Facebook and her insistence on starting the movie at 11 p.m. on Tuesday night," Dan said.

Dan said the best tribute to his wife would be if we could all adopt her loving, giving nature when a friend needs it most.

"Do something to make someone laugh. Do something to make them relax and enjoy the present," said Dan.

"I want to thank all my friends and family and my mom's friends for being there throughout everything," said Sela.

The brave daughter and husband say Dini's memory will keep them going, but getting some kind of closure in her death would help them move on.  

"I don't know that there's any complete justice," said Dan. "I think most important, and Sela said this at one point, she just wants them to say that they're sorry." 

Dan says the Islamic Community in Elizabethtown helped give Dini a proper burial. Her employer, Global Entertainment, is offering a $500 reward for information leading to an arrest. He asks that anyone who has information about his wife's death come forward.  

The vehicle that struck Dini Papapietro was a white 1990's minivan, possibly a Pontiac Trans Sport or similar GM model. Metro Police believe the van will have significant damage to its front end. Anyone with information is asked to call the LMPD Crime Tip Line at 574-LMPD (5673). All calls to the Crime Tip Line are anonymous.

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