The grief-stricken family of a young footballer killed in a hit and run collision in regional Victoria is pleading with witnesses to the crash to give them closure, more than a year on from the tragedy.
Jordan Purcell, 20, died shortly after a passer-by found him alone on the road with life-threatening injuries.
He was struck after a sporting function in Alexandra, in north-east Victoria, in June 2019.
Detectives have reopened the year-old case and hope a fresh appeal for information will dispel rumours clouding the case.
"The family wants closure, they want answers," Major Collision Investigation Unit detective senior constable Sandro Lombardi said.
"They feel that maybe there's some people in the community that know something and haven't come forward."
Pain drawn out for family of victim
Rumours of the circumstances of the collision have run rife in the community in the 17 months since Jordan's death.
It has been a difficult 15 months for Jordan's family who just want closure.
"As a family we find it incredibly hard to believe that no one knows anything about that night," Jordan's brother Lyndon Purcell said.
"We recognise the difficulty in coming forward but ask that you respect our need to know the truth and gain a sense of closure.
"Nothing will ever replace Jordie, but at least knowing what happened will start to help."
His sister Ebony Purcell said it had been hard to come to terms with her brother's death.
"This has totally devastated our family and the last 17 months have been heartbreaking trying to adjust to life without him," she said.
"He had so much to look forward to and we had so much to share with him."
Information van set up for public
An information caravan has been set up in the centre of Alexandra this week, with people already coming forward with information to police.
Detective Senior Constable Lombardi said he was confident police would solve the case.
"We're keeping an open mind with the investigation but we've got to the point where we want enough with the rumours — we want the facts," he said.
"We don’t want any witnesses to feel like that they'll be an outcast if they come forward."
