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UPDATED: Suspect of hit-and-run in fatal Hope crash wanted for jewelry heist

A woman in her 30s died in the crash near Hope
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The suspect still at large after a fatal crash near Hope on Monday is also wanted for an alleged jewelry heist in Nelson, police believe.

A disguised burglar brazenly smashed through the front window of Ted Allen’s Jewelry store and fled with approximately $30,000 worth of merchandise Monday morning.

RCMP said the suspect nicked a rental car’s license plates around lunch and then crashed his stolen car – an Equinox – near Hope that afternoon, killing his female passenger.

He then left the scene in a white Ford F350 truck stolen from a passerby who stopped to help the victims of the crash, Mounties said in a statement.

The victim of Monday’s fatal highway crash near Hope has been identified by loved ones on social media as Danielle Charlton of Aldergrove.

Police have since found the Ford truck but are still on the hunt for the suspect.

He is described as a 5’9 - 5’10 Caucasian male with short dark hair and stubble, wearing a red and white motorcycle-style hacket and tan coloured shorts.

According to Cst. Melissa Wutke, the suspect is believed to have travelled east towards Hope in the Ford truck before abandoning it. He is still on the loose and police are telling the public to not approach him but to dial 911 immediately.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Fraser Valley Traffic Service RCMP at 604-702-4039, Hope RCMP at 604-869-7750 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

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