Arrest made in hit-and-run I-44 death

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis police on Friday arrested a 60-year-old man who was identified by a witness as the motorist who struck and killed a nurse on Interstate 44 this week.

Michael Siemers, commander of the St. Louis Police traffic division, said the man, accompanied by his lawyer, turned himself in to police. Siemers declined to name the St. Louis man until he is charged, probably today, he said.

Elizabeth Ottomeyer, 36, of south St. Louis County, was killed Tuesday when she pulled over to assist accident victims on the rain-slickened I-44 and was struck by a hit-and-run driver. Ottomeyer's maternal grandparents live in Cape Girardeau.

Ottomeyer had told her adolescent daughter and stepdaughter to wait for her in the van while she attempted to reach the accident victims. They did not see her being struck.

Ottomeyer was on her way to work at a St. Louis nursing home that rainy morning. The girls were joining her that day to volunteer at the nursing home. Her funeral is set for today.

Siemers thanked the media and public for their help in cracking the case. He said a witness observed the hit-and-run, recorded the vehicle's license number and description, and reported it to police. The witness then identified the man in a lineup on Friday.

Siemers said the man did not indicate he was going to turn himself in before police contacted him to appear for a lineup.