MAPLE GROVE, Minn. — It was something thousands of hockey moms do nearly every winter night across Minnesota, a routine Rebecca Nelson likely didn't think twice about.
But on Feb. 20, 2003, dropping her son off at the community hockey rink for a game was the last thing the Maple Grove woman ever did. Nelson was struck by a hit-and-run motorist while crossing the parking lot of the Maple Grove Community Center. She would die later that night of her injuries, leaving behind a husband and two young children.
Maple Grove Police Detective Dominic Wareham was a young patrolman for the department on that fateful night, and one of the first officers to arrive on the scene. He recalls it was a warm February night, and the parking lot was busy but police were unable to find anyone who had seen anything.
"You think, man, there had to be someone who saw something, but no one came forward," Wareham said.
The young cop and another Maple Grove officer jumped into action, performing lifesaving measures on Rebecca Nelson. They followed the ambulance to a Twin Cities hospital and were there with her husband, children and family members when a chaplain came out and told them she did not survive.
"I can still remember their faces... you really remember the family left behind," Wareham recalls.
Dominic Wareham, now a detective, was assigned the cold case in 2016 and became reacquainted with Nelson's husband Jim and her daughter, now grown and married. He says they are good people, not vindictive... they just want to know what happened.
"Very understanding, you can tell there's some pain when you talk to them," Wareham reflects. "They just want answers."
In the 17 years that have passed since Rebecca Nelson's death Maple Grove Police have investigated several leads in the case, but have yet to identify and arrest a suspect. Detective Wareham continues to work with the BCA using new evidence technology. He says tips on the case that have slowed to a trickle usually spike on anniversaries of the incident when Maple Grove Police reach out to the media.
The detective hopes that is the case today, that a change in life circumstance or relationships may convince someone to come forward and tell police who was behind the wheel.
Wareham also reminds the public that Rebecca's family and friends have offered a $12,500 reward for information leading to the person responsible for her death. "Maybe that's what it takes to tip someone over the edge," he says.
Anyone with information on Rebecca Nelson's hit-and-run death is asked to call Maple Grove Police Detective Dominic Wareham at 763-494-6196.
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