Woman charged in fatal Bardwell hit-and-run

WAXAHACHIE - Blooming Grove's Ruth Demint, 57, faces a manslaughter charge from a recent hit-and-run accident in Bardwell that resulted in the death of Amanda Zapata, the 30-year-old mother of three daughters and three stepchildren.

Demint was arrested and arraigned this week.

Zapata was struck and killed Tuesday, Aug. 22, while walking along Highway 34 about 7:25 p.m., according to the investigating officer. She reportedly was on her routine daily walk about a half mile east of Bardwell when Demint's westbound vehicle apparently left its lane and struck Zapata.

The Ellis County Sheriff's Department identified a burned vehicle near the Ellis-Navarro county line as the one involved in the incident.

A witness reported the burning vehicle on South Armstrong Road at Chambers Creek at 5 a.m. The vehicle, engulfed in flames, caught a nearby birdge on fire.

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