A Mother Lost, a Driver Sought: The Heart-Wrenching Aftermath of a Mississauga Hit-and-Run

A Sunday night, typically a quiet end to the weekend, instead became a backdrop for an unimaginable tragedy in Mississauga. And, honestly, it’s a story that feels almost too callous to comprehend. Near the busy intersection of Britannia and Mavis Roads, just as November was settling in, a life was abruptly extinguished, leaving a profound void and a community reeling.

Riza Mae Alcantara, a 54-year-old pedestrian, was simply crossing the road around 11 p.m. that fateful Sunday. We can only imagine her plans, her thoughts—perhaps heading home, perhaps out for a late stroll. But her journey ended there, in the most brutal way, struck down by a vehicle whose driver then allegedly did something truly shocking, something that hints at a deliberate attempt to disappear into the night.

Peel Regional Police, in the very early stages of their investigation, have revealed a detail that, frankly, makes one’s blood run cold: the driver, they say, is believed to have removed their rear license plate after the collision. Think about that for a moment. Not just fleeing in a moment of panic, but allegedly taking the time, however brief, to deliberately obscure identifying details. It speaks to a certain calculated indifference, doesn’t it? A desperate, cold attempt to erase their connection to a life-altering, fatal event.

The vehicle in question, detectives from the Major Collision Bureau tell us, is thought to be a dark-coloured SUV—quite possibly a Porsche Macan, from the 2019 to 2024 model years. It’s a specific detail, yes, but one that could be the key to unlocking this mystery. Police are, understandably, making a fervent appeal to anyone who might have seen something, anything, no matter how small it seemed at the time. Were you driving nearby? Do you have dashcam footage? Even a flicker of an image or a fleeting memory could be the piece of the puzzle that finally brings some measure of peace, some semblance of justice, to Riza Mae’s devastated loved ones.

Because, in truth, beyond the cold facts and the police statements, there's a grieving family, friends, and a community left to grapple with an unbearable loss, complicated by the horrifying thought of someone deliberately trying to escape accountability. The call for witnesses isn't just a procedural step; it's a plea for humanity, for those with information to step forward and ensure that Riza Mae Alcantara’s death doesn't remain an unsolved, unanswered question in the dark of a Mississauga night.