The White Settlement Police Department worked overnight with other law enforcement agencies to identify the crash location. Around 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, December 17, 2023, the department was notified by the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office of a crash on the westbound service road of Interstate Highway 30 near Cockrell Hill Road. According to Dallas County Sheriff’s Office investigators, human remains were located near the roadway that may possibly match the victim’s body that was recovered from inside the vehicle in the restaurant parking lot. The Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office will work with the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office to make proper identification of the decedent.
Based upon this new information, the White Settlement Police Department will be transitioning the criminal case to the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office for referral and prosecution in Dallas County. This is due to the belief that the crash occurred in the City of Dallas on the service road. WSPD Investigators believe the suspect continued driving approximately 38 miles from the initial pedestrian/crash scene in Dallas to the restaurant parking lot in White Settlement.
The department seized the vehicle and will turn over all evidence to the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office. A blood search warrant was obtained, and test results are pending. The 31-year-old suspect, Nestor Joel Lujan Flores, remains in the custody of the White Settlement Jail on a pending charge of Intoxication Manslaughter. He was previously arrested in 2020 by the Plano Police Department for Driving While Intoxicated and convicted in 2021 in Collin County for the same charge.
The public information officer for Dallas County Sheriff’s Office is Doug Sisk (douglas.sisk@dallas-county.org).
ORIGINAL RELEASE BELOW DISSEMINATED ON DECEMBER 17, 2023 AT 2:25 A.M.
The White Settlement Police Department responded to a welfare check at a local restaurant parking lot on Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 11:13 p.m. in the 8700 block of Interstate Highway 30 Service Road. The caller reported that a vehicle, later determined to be a gray Kia Forte 4-door passenger car, had extensive front end, hood, and windshield damage. The caller further reported that the driver appeared to be slumped over the steering wheel.
The officer arrived and noticed what appeared to be a human body with no signs of life in the front passenger seat. The officer immediately had the driver step out of the vehicle and detained him for further investigation. Emergency fire department and medical personnel were called to the scene and determined that the passenger was deceased.
The driver told officers that he believed he had struck an animal in Dallas and continued driving to this parking lot. The driver never notified police or fire emergency responders of this incident.
The department notified the Dallas Police Department, Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, Grand Prairie Police Department, Arlington Police Department, and the Fort Worth Police Department to identify a possible location where this incident occurred. A regional broadcast was also distributed to area Dallas/Fort Worth police agencies. At this time, no area law enforcement agencies have reported a hit and run or pedestrian crash in their respective cities.
Based upon the evidence at the scene, detectives believe the driver struck a pedestrian somewhere between Arlington and White Settlement. A Flock Safety Alert was recovered at the eastbound lanes of the 1900 block of E. Mayfield at New York Avenue at 6:01 p.m. placing the vehicle in Arlington prior to this case investigation.
Detectives believe the impact was so severe, that the pedestrian was thrown inside the vehicle and came to rest on the passenger seat. Investigators believe the vehicle may have arrived at the restaurant parking lot between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m., even though the first telephone call came in at 11:13 p.m. by a concerned citizen.
The driver, identified as 31-year-old Nestor Joel Lujan Flores, has been detained with criminal charges pending further review by the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office at the time of this news release dissemination. The booking photo is not available at this time.
The department is still attempting to determine the exact location of the crash and offense. The deceased and cause of death will be identified by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office once next of kin have been identified.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Sgt. Steven Person at investigator@wspd.us or 817-246-7070.
The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office is assisting with the crime scene processing and evidence collection.
Report #23-006245
Photo Attachments: Booking photo of suspect and scene photo.
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