How intense search helped Birmingham police arrest suspected deadly hit-and-run driver

Suspect charged with failure to stop at the scene of a crash

DETROIT – Mike Simpson, a detective sergeant with the Birmingham Police Department talked about the process involved in arresting a suspected deadly hit-and-run driver.

Simpson stated that the list from the Secretary of State started with somewhere around 9,000 vehicles in Michigan. The list was narrowed again based on model year with hundreds if not a thousand results.

That list was ultimately narrowed again to 100 vehicles based on two possible color matches.

Investigators made contact with every owner on the list of the 100 viewing each vehicle to rule them out as the possible suspect vehicle, said Simpson. Eventually, this led to the discovery of the vehicle involved in the crash.

Steven Fowlow, 52, of Davisburg, Michigan, was trying to fix his damaged car in the backyard after striking and killing the pedestrian crossing the street in Birmingham, according to police.

The crash happened just before 2 a.m. Aug. 8 on Woodward Avenue near Forest Avenue in Birmingham, authorities said.

Fowlow was found at his home, and the Traverse was in the backyard, where he was trying to repair the damage himself, according to police.

The suspect told investigators that he thought he had struck a deer on Woodward Avenue, officials said.

He was arraigned in 48th District Court on a charge of failure to stop at the scene of an accident resulting in death. He is being held on a $10,000 cash/surety/10% bond.

READ: Michigan man tries to fix car in backyard after hitting, killing pedestrian in Birmingham, police say

READ MORE: Family of man killed in hit-and-run won’t stop demanding answers until arrest is made


About the Authors:

Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade.