31-year-old Rhode Island native, mother of 3, killed in hit and run pedestrian crash; online fundraiser created

A Rhode Island native is being remembered as authorities are looking for the driver who killed her.

According to police, Hartford Police officers responded to the area of Ledyard Street, south of Wawarme Avenue, at approximately 3:45 a.m. Saturday following a report of a serious motor vehicle versus pedestrian crash.

Upon arrival, officers located a female pedestrian in the roadway suffering from life-threatening injuries. She was transported by EMS to an area hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased.

The involved vehicle, an unknown make and model, fled the scene southbound after striking the pedestrian. Detectives from the Hartford Police Crime Scene Division responded and have assumed the investigation.

The deceased pedestrian has been identified as 31-year-old Keyshla M. Ortiz-Benitez of Hartford, CT, previously of Providence and Central Falls.

According to a GoFundMe fundraiser, “Keyshla helped and supported everyone around her, and she was a wonderful mother to her three children. Her kindness and warmth touched so many lives, and her absence leaves a hole in our hearts.”

This remains an active and ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the HPD Tip Line at 860-722-TIPS (8477).