Laurel Hill killed in Fort Pierce hit and run

FORT PIERCE, Fla. - Joseph Giedlin is having a hard time staying upright.  His grief is evident as he collapses and sobs in the arms of his friends.

It was just after 9 o'clock Saturday night and he and his fiancée Laurel Hill were walking in their neighborhood, the Manatee Mobile Home Park in Fort Pierce off US 1.

Giedlin went into a neighbors house for a cigarette.  Moments later, he heard a sickening thud.

"I knocked again and I said, 'I guarantee that Laurel just got hit by a car,' "Giedlin recalled on Monday.
Giedlin doesn't know why Hill was out in the road, but he'll never forget her last moments as she tried to talk to him, but couldn't.

"I believe that's when she took her last breaths, in my arms.. it's hard," Giedlin said between tears.

Giedlin said he and Hill did not have a wedding date, but wore matching bands to symbolize their commitment.

Hill had four kids, ranging in age from 3 to 13. "She was always happy.  If I wasn't feeling good, she'd be there for me and vice versa," said Giedlin.

Police say right now, they're at a disadvantage.

Sergeant Dennis McWilliams with the Fort Pierce Police Department said, "A lot of our investigations are based on what people have seen or done and in this case we don't have any witnesses, so we're asking people to step forward."

Detectives are looking at video from a nearby business for clues.

Back at the trailer Giedlin and Hill shared, Gemma the cat sits in the corner peering out the window, waiting for her owner to come home.

Giedlin is trying to raise enough money to have Hill's body cremated, so in a way Hill will return home.

"She has to be with her father. I have her father in there, and I want her with her father."

If you'd like to help, you can call 772-777-0956.

If you have any information on the hit and run, you can call Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-800-273-TIPS.