WARREN, Mich. – A Warren woman has confessed to a hit-and-run crash that killed 28-year-old Nateria Smith of Madison Heights, who was stopped on the shoulder of I-696 to refuel her car, after police said they had to hunt her down.
Smith’s mother, Neferteri Smith, said her daughter was “a beautiful angel inside and out” and that she wants the driver “prosecuted to the fullest.”
Police said Meaghan Hamilton, 36, hit and killed Smith around 1:15 a.m. Sunday on I-696 near Hoover Road. Smith’s vehicle had run out of gas, and she was adding fuel when she was hit. She was pronounced dead at Ascension Macomb Oakland Hospital in Warren.
Smith’s family said last week, they were busy planning her 29th birthday, but this week, they’re now planning her funeral. They can’t believe it.
“It was just a blink of an eye, so it was pretty devastating,” her mother said. “My baby was taken from me, and I can’t never, ever get her back.”
Witnesses played a key role in the investigation, police said. They gave officers a description of a red-orange Chevrolet Trax allegedly leaving the scene.
“This was a combination of good police work, combined with excellent witness participation,” said Warren Police Lieutenant John Gajewski. “We had evidence on the scene, which we were able to link up to a make and model of a vehicle, and then our officers and our investigators… started canvassing for video.”
Gajewski said detectives found a heavily damaged SUV matching the description parked at Hamilton’s home about a mile from the crash site, also in Warren. Hamilton later admitted to being the driver, police said.
“She did not stop. She did not call police,” a prosecutor told the court during Hamilton’s arraignment Wednesday in 37th District Court.
Smith’s family was heard sobbing as Hamilton was being arraigned.
“It’s best that she just sit down and do her time so she can think about what she did to my daughter,” Neferteri Smith said outside of the courtroom. “And I hope she feels bad for what she did — I really do. I wish I could have a conversation with her, just her and I, so I can ask her, ‘What were you doing? What was going through your head? Were you distracted? Were you intoxicated? What happened?’ Just tell me what happened.”
Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido said remaining at the scene is “not only required by law, but also a fundamental responsibility that ensures help can arrive quickly and that the facts can be fully understood.”
Hamilton is charged with failure to stop at the scene of an accident resulting in serious impairment or death, a five-year felony. Hamilton’s blood was taken about nine hours later, according to Judge Suzanne Faunce. The results are pending.
Judge Faunce set Hamilton’s bond at $50,000 cash or surety and ordered GPS monitoring, a ban on alcohol or drug use, and random testing if she is released.
Hamilton’s attorney told the court that Hamilton has a valid license, no criminal history, and has worked at Chrysler for 15 years.
A probable cause conference is scheduled for Aug. 21, followed by a preliminary exam on Aug. 28, 2025.