KANSAS CITY —A grand jury indicted a suspect with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed a man on April 13, 2026, according to a media release from the Clay County, Missouri Sheriff.
Deputies took 35-year-old Matthew R. Lavigne into custody this week. He is being held on a $250,000 bond.
He is accused of striking and killing 37-year-old pedestrian Steven Notari on Petty Road with his vehicle and leaving the scene. Lavigne denied knowing that he struck a person.
In addition to conducting interviews, Sheriff's Office investigators gathered evidence including vehicle parts at the scene, the victim’s blood on the suspect’s vehicle, license plate reader camera photos, cell phone data, and footage from business surveillance cameras.
They and the Prosecutor's Office presented this evidence to a Clay County grand jury, which determined Lavigne should be charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.
Just after 7a.m. April 13, a semi driver on Interstate 35 reported seeing someone lying on the adjacent Edgar Petty Road, just north of NE 116th Street, according to a statement from the Clay County, Missouri Sheriff.
Deputies arrived four minutes later and found Notari on the road. It appeared an unknown vehicle struck him and left the area. On Tuesday, the sheriff's office reported they had a suspect in custody.
Deputies shut Edgar Petty Road down for several hours so investigators could gather evidence. The Platte County Sheriff’s Office assisted with surveying the crash scene.
Based on evidence recovered at the scene, deputies believed the suspect vehicle is a 2013-18 Ford Focus and likely has fresh damage.