Principal says students cooperating with fatal hit and run investigation

The head of a Snoqualmie Valley high school says students there have cooperated with detectives investigating a fatal hit and run that occurred on New Year’s Eve near North Bend.

John Belcher, principal of Mount Si High School, said the King County Sherriff’s Office was granted access to interview students about the death of 57-year-old Lucinda Pieczatkowski.

“Our security officer had some students talk to her about it, and that’s largely what the police were following up on,” Belcher said.

Pieczatkowski was struck and killed by a truck while walking on a remote road near North Bend after a holiday celebration. A broken headlight found at the scene led detectives to impound a 1988 Ford F150 pickup truck that they believe is connected to the crime.

A spokesperson for the King County Sheriff’s Office said detectives know who owns the truck and several North Bend residents said it belongs to a former Mount Si student who has become the focus of the investigation.

“It’s all very hush-hush,” said the parent of a child at Mount Si High School, who spoke to KIRO Radio on the condition on anonymity. “From what I know from my child is that they know who did it but nobody wants to come forward and say anything because they don’t want to get him in trouble.”

The parent took the information she overheard to a detective, who told her that it was consistent with what he believed happened that night: that the young man left a party in Fall City and hit Pieczatkowski while drunk behind the wheel.

“(The detective) had a list of names of kids that were at the party and that he just needed one person to come forward to say that they could put this boy at the party and say that he was driving the car,” she said.

Belcher said he is unsure how many current students have first-hand knowledge of the incident, but says the school has encouraged those with information to come forward.

“Kids know that we have resources here that they can rely on as they’re trying to make decisions,” he said. “We have an anonymous tip line that allows kids to kind of share thoughts without being identified.”

Sgt. Cindi West said detectives have made progress in the case, but said those with information “need to do the right thing.”

“The right thing isn’t always the easiest to do,” she said.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).