Charlie Walkanoff was on a walk with his pregnant fiancée in Waukegan, Illinois, when the unthinkable happened. While he had his back turned, a car plowed into Michelle Heidbrick, 36, and she and her unborn baby received fatal injuries. But the driver reportedly took off, evading police for two days. Now, 49-year-old Rosalinda Vaca sits behind bars, charged with leaving the scene of an accident. Heidbrick’s family remains devastated.
The accident occurred just after 9:30 p.m. September 21, 2025, WGN-TV reported. Walkanoff said he had no idea what happened.
“All I heard was a smack,” he told the news outlet. “Next thing I knew, she’s rolling down the street. They hit my baby so hard. I was trying to yell to get people to call 911, and someone stopped, and they did.”
ABC News reported that the Waukegan Police Department identified the vehicle of interest as a black 2016 Land Rover SUV. Per People, Vaca turned herself in after learning a woman died in the accident and realizing her potential involvement.
She reportedly told police she “struck something in the roadway but didn’t realize what it was,” per ABC News. She then “learned there was a report of a woman who was struck and killed in an accident.”
The victim’s sister, Nicole Heidbrick, told ABC News she couldn’t believe the driver didn’t stop.
“I still don’t understand if you hit something that hard, why wouldn’t you at least stop to see what it was?” Nicole Heidbrick said.
She makes a very good point, which raises many questions. Could the suspect have been under the influence? Was she lying? Maybe the crash scared her. We may never know.
In addition to her boyfriend and extended family, Heidbrick also had an 18-year-old son.
Nicole Heidbrick created a GoFundMe account for the family to help cover the cost of final expenses.
Investigators are continuing to work the case and piece together clues. Per online records, Vaca remains in Lake County Jail.
Walkanoff wants justice for his fiancée and their unborn child.
“If anybody (saw) anything, please, please say something because my baby didn’t deserve to die that way,” he pleaded.
Vaca turning herself in to the police is a positive sign that she’s trying to do the right thing. It won’t bring back an expectant mother and her baby, but it could help the family find closure after tragedy.
