[07-20-2025] Riverside County, CA – Woman Struck and Killed by Suspected DUI Driver on I-215 in Murrieta

A 44-year-old woman was fatally struck by a suspected DUI driver after exiting her vehicle to inspect damage on Interstate 215 in Murrieta on Sunday morning, July 20, 2025.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the incident occurred at approximately 2:30 a.m. on southbound I-215, just north of Murrieta Hot Springs Road. 

The woman, identified as Gladys M. of Lake Elsinore, had been driving a 2014 Nissan Murano when she struck a water-filled traffic control barrel in a freeway construction zone.

CHP Officer Russ Robertson stated that Gladys M. was outside her vehicle, checking for damage, when a 2004 Honda Accord entered the construction area and struck her. The male driver fled the scene.

Murrieta Fire & Rescue arrived within 15 minutes and pronounced the woman dead at the scene. A male passenger in the Nissan was not injured.

Investigators gathered evidence identifying the suspect vehicle and served an arrest warrant at the driver’s residence later that afternoon. The man was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of DUI, gross vehicular manslaughter, and hit-and-run.

The suspect’s identity and bail information have not been released. The crash remains under investigation.