Police Asking for Help in Hit-and-Run That Killed Marine, 22

He was a beloved high school football star, a model who caught the eye of Abercrombie and Fitch, a son who nicknamed his mother "momma gomma lomma." And he was a private first class in the Marine Corps, based in Washington, who was preparing for deployment to Afghanistan in the summer.

On Nov. 8, four days after his 22nd birthday, Maddison Peterson went for a walk about 9 p.m. to cool down after an argument and was struck and killed by a vehicle. Police were appealing yesterday for the public's help to find the driver.

Asked why police waited 11 days to announce Peterson's death, Arlington County Police Chief M. Douglas Scott said that police were not trying to hide the information, but that "people do make mistakes."

Police said a motorist driving a sports car ran over Peterson's body, which was on Route 110 northbound under the Interstate 395 overpass. The motorist called police, who determined that Peterson had been struck previously by a larger vehicle, possibly a sport-utility vehicle.

At the Washington Hospital Center, where Peterson was pronounced dead, a hospital employee stole his credit cards and used them for purchases, said Detective Crystal Nosal, an Arlington County Police spokeswoman. In a statement, the hospital said the employee, who had an administrative role, "no longer works at the Hospital Center. The hospital is fully cooperating with the authorities involved in the investigation."

Peterson's father was in Arlington to visit his son and drive with him back West. Peterson, who grew up outside of Portland, Ore., was going to be transferred to Camp Pendleton in California. Rodney Peterson was staying at the Crystal City Marriott and having a drink with his son the evening of Nov. 8.

At some point, his son got into an argument with a member of the Navy, his father said. Rodney Peterson said he didn't know what the argument was about, but told his son, "You need to cool off." And so Maddison Peterson took off for a walk.

He was struck less than a mile away, under the I-395 overpass. Police said the argument in the Marriott bar was not related to his death.

His mother, Pam Peterson, said yesterday that she hoped someone would come forward to help police figure out what happened to her son.

"I can't tell you how my heart hurts because of this," she said.

Her son was the kind of guy who made friends "waiting in line at the grocery store," she said. "If he was getting gas, he was making friends with the gas attendant."

He had a model's good looks, and a New York agent was starting to book jobs for him, but it didn't go to his head, she said. His agent, Kevin Holloman, said Abercrombie and Fitch was interested in having him do a shoot in February.