A memorial made of two small crosses and several flowers marks the spot where Ivy Spratling was hit by a car on September 15th. The 41-year-old lived with her mother on Main Street, and had three children of her own.
"Ivy was a beautiful person," said the friend of the victim, Joseph Royal. "She would do anything for you. Nice attitude and everything. She was a beautiful lady."
Friends say Spratling was crossing Highway 140 after shopping at a nearby market when a car heading west over the Bradley overpass crashed into her. Merced police say the driver got out and looked at Spratling before leaving the scene. She later died at the hospital.
Royal told ABC30, "She didn't deserve to get hit like that, you know and dude just take off like that."
Investigators used evidence from the crash site to identify the vehicle involved. They found the black Honda Accord four days later in a driveway on De Anza Court, under a cover. Police then got an arrest warrant for Jessie Medrano and released his picture as a wanted man. The 32-year-old turned himself in on Sunday.
"When someone's injured, you drive away and leave them there without making sure they got some help, it's a shame," said Lt. Tom Trindad. "But we are glad the person who appears to be responsible for this has come forward and is cooperating."
The district attorney's office is charging Medrano with hit-and-run causing death and driving on a suspended license for a prior DUI conviction.
Spratling's mother was too distraught to speak on camera, but says she'll never understand how someone could look at her wounded daughter lying in the street, and still make the choice to leave.
Medrano is currently out on bail. His first court appearance has not yet been scheduled.