By Christian Davenport
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 20, 2008
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.
After high school, Maddison Peterson spent a year and a half in college, but it didn't work out, his mother said. He decided to enlist in the Marines, understanding that it could soon mean a trip to the front lines, she said.
She said her son was sitting on the couch one Sunday afternoon, looking out the window, watching his dad mow the lawn. "Where am I going to be in 10 years? Chances are, sitting here on this couch, looking out the window," he told her. That's when he decided he wanted to "help those people in Iraq," she said.
After boot camp, he was stationed at the Marine Barracks Washington, where he worked security. He was to be deployed to Afghanistan in July.
When he told his mother he'd be going off to war, he said he did not want a funeral if he didn't make it back.
"I don't want people to be sad because of me," Pam Peterson recalled her son as saying. "I don't want people to come cry over me."
So, this week, she had a memorial service for him. About 1,000 people came, she said. His old coaches and teachers, friends and teammates. And Pam Peterson transformed a stage in the church into one big living room. She brought in a couch and lounge chairs and bar stools.
"I wanted everyone to know we were just going to hang out with him one last time," she said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Arlington police at 703-228-4050 or the Naval Criminal Investigative Service at 202-579-7920.
Staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.
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