Daughter, father charged in hit and run that killed Wasilla man

WASILLA — While summonses were served to a Washington state father and daughter Tuesday in connection with the hit-and-run death of Elgie Bedford, 81, of Wasilla in Sweet Grass County, Mont., on Sept. 30, the search continues for the semi driver who hit and killed him.

“I’m just glad that they are going to be forced to look at what they did,” said Carol Bedford, 73. “I commented to the DAs office that I just think they left their humanity somewhere in their past. They didn’t seem to have any that day; no one that was involved.”

The Sixth Judicial District Court issued summons on Nov. 8 for Wryan V. Young, 31, and her father, Westley L. Young, 50, both of Oak Harbor, Wash., to appear in District Court in Big Timber, Mont., on Dec. 10 on charges related to Bedford’s death, according to a written statement from said Patrick K. Dringman, attorney for Sweet Grass County, Mont.

In a phone interview, he said investigation so far has determined that the vehicle Young was driving was not the only one that struck Bedford. He said investigators also don’t believe Young’s was the first vehicle to hit him.

“If we ever ascertain who the first vehicle was that hit him, there may be additional charges filed,” Dringman said.

The charges filed thus far allege that Wryan was driving her father’s Ford F-250 when she struck Bedford's body in the westbound lane of Interstate 90 near Mile 376.5, but that she continued driving to Livingston, Mont., where she and her father “attempted to conceal evidence by washing obvious human remains from the vehicle she was driving.”

Montana Highway Patrol troopers tracked the Youngs using credit card receipts from a gas station south of Livingston where a clerk on duty told officers about a strange encounter she’d had around 3 a.m., Sept. 30 with three people in a dark-colored pickup pulling a trailer.

The clerk said they asked for directions to the nearest car wash after the driver commented to her male passenger that she’d run over some furniture on the highway.

“How the hell did you do you hit furniture?” he asked, according to an affidavit filed in the case against the Youngs.

Parts of Bedford’s body were later recovered by law enforcement at the same car wash.

“I’m glad they found ‘em, charged ’em and now they have time to think about it,” Carol Bedford said. “I’d like them to understand what they did was take a human life and ignore it.”

At this time, Montana officials say the Washington woman faces felony charges for failing to remain at the scene of a fatal accident and for tampering with evidence.

Her father, Westley L. Young, also faces a felony evidence tampering charge for assisting his daughter in concealing evidence of the hit and run, according to a written statement from the Sweet Grass County attorney about the charges against the Youngs.

Bedford said her husband, a career military man, was making his annual trek to the Paris, Texas, area where his children and other extended family live when he was killed.

Memorial services for him were in Paris, Texas, in early October. He was buried with full Military Honors while surrounded by his family.