As soon as Annie Torres’ family learned that she hadn’t shown up for work two days in a row, they knew something was wrong.
Torres — affectionately known as “Ms. Annie” by many of her coworkers — hadn’t been a no-call, no-show in the twelve-and-a-half years she’d worked at the Walmart on Pendleton Pike in Lawrence.
Hours after she’d been reported missing on May 11, Annie’s sister found her just north of the roundabout at East 42nd Street and North German Church Road. She’d been struck and killed by a driver who fled the scene. She was 58 years old.
Annie walked more than three miles each way to and from work from her apartment in Indianapolis, often in the dark. Much of the route lacks pedestrian infrastructure. She wore a headlamp and high-visibility gear, and in areas without sidewalks, like where she was found, she walked in the grass.
“In this economy, it is really difficult to maintain a vehicle,” said Stephanie Karwick, Annie’s niece.
Taking the bus would have required walking more than a mile to the IndyGo stop, and the earliest route would have dropped Annie off at work 15 minutes after the scheduled start of her shift. She liked to get to work early, Karwick said.
Annie had an impressive knack for keeping up with fellow employees’ lives, asking after kids and aging parents by name. Though many offered her rides to and from work, she often declined.
Her coworkers took a break on the afternoon of May 15 to hold a balloon release that they’d organized in her honor. Some came on their day off to participate. Annie’s family and regular customers joined, all wearing purple, her favorite color.
“She’s the sweetest person ever,” said Karen Binns, a longtime customer. “She always had a smile on her face. She greeted you in the store.”
Sam Pruitt, an assistant manager at a nearby store location, led a prayer as he fought tears.
“We honor her faithfulness and years of service, and her presence will be greatly missed,” Pruitt told the crowd. He used to work at the Pendleton Pike location, and he returned to honor his former colleague.
Karwick said that her aunt doted on her nieces and nephews.
“She loved big, basically,” Karwick said. “She cared about everybody.”
Annie’s family is hoping somebody comes forward with information that could help solve the case. Police have not publicly released any details about a vehicle or person of interest.
“Maybe a nearby neighbor just happens to see the area and be like, ‘Oh, that’s near my house. Let me check my cameras,'” Karwick said.
Annie Torres was the eighth pedestrian killed in Indianapolis this year, according to data collected by Indy Pedestrian Safety Crisis.
Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ‘Sweetest person ever’: Longtime Walmart worker killed in hit-and-run
Reporting by Ryan Murphy, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
