POULSBO, Wash. — One year after her son's tragic death in a hit-and-run crash, a Camano Island mother is making an emotional plea for information.
Robert Rathvon, 35, was struck and killed along state Route 3 in Poulsbo on Dec. 9, 2023. The driver responsible has not been identified.
Washington State Patrol detectives gathered evidence, including surveillance video, but are still seeking public assistance to solve the case.
Kathryn Rathvon, Robert's mother, expressed her ongoing grief.
"We have tough days and then we have tougher days. It doesn't really get easier because that hole in the heart is still there,” she said.
On the night of the incident, Robert was staying in downtown Poulsbo. Grainy video footage shows him walking through a parking lot near a restaurant. Around 12:20 a.m., photos captured him passing an auto dealership. His cellphone's last ping was recorded just before 1 a.m., which investigators believe may have been when the phone was damaged in the collision.
Robert's body was discovered on the shoulder of state Route 3 on the offramp to Finn Hill at mile post 52.
At the time of his death, he was working as an air ambulance pilot, fulfilling his lifelong dreams. His mother described him as someone who was "helping people in the outer reaches of Indonesia, or being a first responder in the U.S."
The lack of answers has intensified the family's pain. Kathryn Rathvon expressed her hope for finding answers.
"Right now, we don't understand what happened," Kathryn said. "We'd like answers. It would help."
A $26,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible. Anyone with information is urged to contact CrimeStoppers. WSP Detective Krista Hedstrom can be reached at 360-731-1108 or emailed at Krista.Hedstrom@wsp.wa.gov.