A pedestrian killed by a hit-and-run driver on Central Whidbey April 25 was identified as 66-year-old James Richard Otis, according to the Island County Sheriff’s Office.

Detective Ed Wallace said Otis was a transient man who lived in the Oak Harbor area. He is the second unhoused person killed by a hit-and-run driver on the island in a little over a month.

Wallace said investigators are following leads to identify the driver. Under state law, a driver involved in any kind of collision is required to stop immediately and offer assistance to the injured party.

At about 12:30 a.m., another driver was traveling on Highway 20 and saw Otis on the side of the road about 150 yards east of the overpass in Coupeville. The driver initially thought Otis was a pile of clothes but decided to turn around and check anyway, according to the detective.

Otis was alive when he was found but seriously injured, Wallace said. First responders transported Otis to WhidbeyHealth Medical Center, but he died soon afterward.

The case is remarkably similar to the March 29 death of 67-year-old Scott Severson, a homeless man who lived in the Freeland area. Severson was walking on Lancaster Road when he was hit and killed by a driver who fled the scene.

In that case, deputies arrested, booked and released Freeland resident Michael Taylor on suspicion of violating the state law regarding the “duty in case of personal injury or death or damage to attended vehicle or other property,” according to the sheriff’s office. Taylor has not been charged.