Body on side of road for hours before discovery

After lying on the side of the road for about nine hours, the body of a Yuma area woman was discovered on the side of Highway 95 Wednesday morning.

The woman, 33-year-old Dora Guevara, was killed across from the entrance of Cocopah Casino at about midnight after being hit by an unknown vehicle. The vehicle then fled the area.

The Cocopah Tribal Police Department responded to the scene at about 9:30 a.m. after the body was reported to law enforcement. Tribal police then transferred the investigation to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

At noon Wednesday, a medical examiner determined Guevara had been dead for about 12 hours.

Although investigators do not have a description of the driver and vehicle involved, they are sifting through evidence found at the scene to try to determine a culprit.

“Basically all we have is debris in the road,” said Carrick R. Cook, DPS public information officer.

“We don't know exactly what kind of car we are looking at. There is some suspicion that it is a Nissan. Some of the debris in the road is consistent with a Nissan fog light, but that is all they know.”

Investigators are also checking surveillance videos captured by the casino and at the San Luis port of entry to determine if there is any footage of the incident and whether the driver then fled the country. Investigators are looking for vehicles that may have damage consistent with hitting a pedestrian.

Medical examiners will examine Guevara's body further on Thursday to try to find any marks or wounds that may hold clues about what type of vehicle was involved.

DPS encourages anyone with information about the incident, or knowledge about the identity or whereabouts of the driver, to call them at 1-602-223-2000. Callers should reference “fatal crash on Highway 95 near Cocopah Casino in District 4.”

Chris McDaniel can be reached at cmcdaniel@yumasun.com or 539-6849.