November 8, 2002 - Family Offers $12,000 Reward for Hit-and-Run Driver

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Two years ago on July 3rd, Diana Gustke was killed in a hit-and-run crash near Rice Lake in western Wisconsin. Even though the Wisconsin State Patrol has closed the case without an arrest, the family is on a mission to find the driver responsible.

Scott Gustke and his wife, Diana, had just left a campground near Rice Lake on their motorcycle with a trailer. They were on Interstate 53 when, out of nowhere, a car slammed into the rear end of their trailer and motorcycle. The impact threw both off the bike, killing Diana.Scott remembers little about the car, which continued without stopping. "It was maroon in color, and it looked like the Honda square circle with an H in it, the emblem on the front of the car."

An investigation never turned up the car or driver and the case was closed. But the family is not giving up. They're offering a $12,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. "I feel that they had dropped the ball on some of the leads they had. They hadn't investigated them thoroughly," Jill Ebert, Scott's sister, said. The family has scoured the investigation papers and found what they claim are mistakes."They had gotten a tip that the car was a maroon car and it was damaged recently and they never found the woman or tried to find the lady," said Ebert. The state patrol feels that whoever hit Scott and Diana is from the Rice Lake area, but troopers admit there is also a good chance that the driver was visiting the area much like the Gustkes were.

"Accidents happen, but when you just drive away from an accident, whatever the reason was, maybe there was medical problems with this person, but still, you don't drive away," Gustke said. Especially when a life was lost.

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