A woman suspected of fatally running down a man on a highway reportedly performed Google searches looking for info about the incident just hours after it happened. She also took her car to a repair shop almost an hour away from her house. Prosecutors call this “consciousness of guilt.”
According to her arrest record, the woman of interest in the deadly hit-and-run incident in Summerlin first told authorities that she had run into construction equipment. However, the vehicle’s damage indicated otherwise.
Rachel Terranova, 27, is facing charges following the fatal collision. Authorities took her into custody on May 30.
On April 28, a citizen called the police regarding a dead body found near the Far Hills offramp on the 215 Beltway. A 35-year-old man from Alpine, California named Darrel Pingleton was walking near the offramp when a Honda Civic struck him.
Pingleton was found dead at around 11:45 p.m.
At the scene of the accident, troopers found parts of a Honda Civic and were on high alert to spot a matching vehicle with front-end damage.
A body shop owner in Pahrump contacted the police on May 1 regarding a Honda Civic that had been dropped off with front-end damage containing blood.
The distance between Las Vegas and Pahrump is almost sixty miles.
After contacting the Nevada Department of Transportation and Las Vegas Paving, the police learned that no construction sites or equipment were in the vicinity on the night of the accident.
When they went to the Pahrump auto shop, they discovered hair and human blood on the vehicle. Authorities also noted that parts missing from the car at the garage matched those found at the accident site.
According to footage retrieved by state police from a shopping center, Terranova was seen entering a vehicle that appeared to be undamaged at first. However, when she returned to her residence, she was caught driving the exact car with visible front-end damage.
According to the police, Terranova reportedly searched “news today” on Google after the incident and persisted with her searches all night and into the next day.
Earlier this month, the prosecution requested a $250,000 bond amount from the judge. Terranova was freed under electronic monitoring by Judge Joe Bonaventure, who will hold a preliminary hearing on August 5.
