'It's just so devastating': Candlelight vigil planned for victim of hit-and-run
Jul. 6—Back in May, an Olivehurst man by the name of Lance Antrobus was struck and killed by an automobile off Forty Mile Road near Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain in Wheatland.
His body was said to be discovered in the bushes on the east shoulder of Forty Mile Road on the morning of May 13, and investigators were able to determine the make, model, and approximate year of the vehicle involved based on broken parts found at the scene.
"There was a headlight and a driver side mirror left behind," said Sherrie Mullinix, Antrobus' daughter. "They were able to take those to a Chevy dealership and determine what type of vehicle it came from based on the parts."
Reports indicate that the vehicle that struck Antrobus was believed to be a white Chevy Malibu from 2016 or newer. The case currently remains under investigation, and both the family and law enforcement are asking anyone with tips or knowledge of the incident to come forward.
"Our family wanted to hold this candlelight vigil in hopes that the person responsible for this crime would have a heart and conscience to do the right thing and turn themselves in," explained Mullinix. "My dad loved his family and is dearly missed. ... The great-grandkids ask, 'how can someone hit him and leave him on the side of the road without calling 911 and getting him help?'"
Antrobus was a 78-year-old local who had retired from Sierra Cedar Products in Marysville after working there for about 15 years. He was born in San Francisco, the oldest of five children, and relocated several times due to his father's career in construction.
In 1965, Antrobus' family moved to Marysville where he later met his wife of 56 years at a bowling alley in Yuba City on Halloween night. The couple went on to have three children, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
"It's just so devastating," said Mullinix through tears. "I don't think people can really understand how it feels until they've been through it."
Mullinix was left to make arrangements for her father's funeral during her own birthday. This solemn story begins on the tail of yet another family tragedy involving Sherry Antrobus, Antrobus' widow.
Sherry Antrobus had just departed with her daughter, Mullinix, to see the Grand Canyon amidst her own recent breast cancer diagnosis. This weekend trip was supposed to be in celebration of Mother's Day, but things soon took a dark turn.
"My father was going to meet a friend at the casino, he doesn't have his license anymore so my son dropped him off," said Mullinix. "They usually only stay about an hour and that's not uncommon for us to drop him off and his friends to bring him home."
It turned out that Antrobus had forgotten his cell phone at home, and when he failed to return at his usual time, Mullinix's son returned to the casino. From Arizona, Mullinix was able to contact her father's friends who said they had been planning to meet up with him on Saturday night, not Friday.
"He had gotten the dates and times mixed up and was stranded there without his phone," said Mullinix. "He didn't have any of our numbers memorized, so I think he just decided to start walking home."
Mullinix said the family has friends that live along McGowan Parkway and some members of the family live off Arboga Road, which is approximately 3 to 4 miles by car.
"It was just a bunch of mishaps that day and never did he think he would've been killed or he would have never walked," added Mullinix.
Antrobus' family kept on the search that night and recalled seeing another pedestrian standing along Forty Mile Road at the same place her father's body would later be discovered. This person was described as a female, and appeared to be caucasian.
"She was wearing a long blue dress to her ankles and both my son and niece saw her at the same place an hour apart from each other," explained Mullinex. "This would've been around the same time that my father was hit. We feel like she knows something and I'd like her to come forward."
Over the past few years, Forty Mile Road has garnered a deadly reputation for automobile accidents. Despite its rural look, this road can become heavily trafficked with those traveling to and from the casino or Toyota Ampitheater.
"I don't know why it isn't better lit up with street lights," said Sherry Antrobus frustratedly. "You have a casino, you have the amphitheater, you have people going to the base and the back gate. You have people that are in Wheatland cutting through there to go to Plumas Lake housing, I mean they have a lot of people on that road and it's just so dark."
A similar incident was reported in February with a 28-year-old man from Marysville being hit and killed along the same stretch of road. In December 2021, another man died after being struck twice by two separate vehicles on Forty Mile Road south of Rosser Road. The family hopes that Lance Antrobus' story will help raise awareness to this issue and encourage local officials to take action.
A candlelight vigil for Antrobus will be held at 8 p.m. Friday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall located at 4956 Powerline Rd. in Olivehurst. The service is open to the public and anyone with information or tips in regards to Antrobus' case is encouraged to reachout to Officer Harbour or Officer Quigley at 530-645-6200.
