On the evening of December 4, 2017 in Waterbury, Connecticut, first responders found a vehicle on Thomaston Avenue ablaze. In the passenger seat was 16-year-old Evalyce Santiago, a Wilby High School student, who had been shot multiple times in the head and hand before the crash. The driver, 27-year-old Dominique Pittman, was at the scene with minor injuries and appeared shaken.

Investigators uncovered a troubling relationship between Pittman and Evalyce; Pittman was romantically involved with her and also had three children with her older sister. Pittman initially said the gun discharged accidentally during a struggle, but his account proved inconsistent. Police concluded Pittman shot Evalyce after she threatened to tell his long-term girlfriend about their relationship and charged him with murder and weapons violations.

In September 2018 Pittman pleaded guilty to murder; during sentencing Evalyce’s family spoke about the vibrant young woman they had lost and Pittman apologized. Pittman was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Does anyone have memories of Evalyce or information that could shed further light on her life in Waterbury?