Hit-and-run suspect still at large; wife grieves at 1-year mark

The man authorities believe is responsible for the death of Galliano resident Dwain Carrell a day after Christmas 2008 is still at-large, and the deceased man’s wife Mary wants justice for her husband.

The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office suspects Santiago Osorio Rodriguez was behind the wheel of the Ford Taurus that fatally struck Dwain on Dec. 26, 2008. However, Louisiana State Police Troop C has not been able to locate Rodriguez since the fatal hit-and-run.

Mary Carrell said she’s been told that Rodriguez fled to Mexico. Other reports place him somewhere in the United States.

“How can a person who the police say was not here legally be behind the wheel of a car that killed my husband,” Mary asked. “Then he drives away and leaves him there. Tries to pawn the car off on someone and flees the country.

“I just don’t get it,” she added. “I have so many unanswered questions, and until I put them to rest, I am still working to find the man that killed Dwain.”

Mary said she spoke with Troop C Capt. Darrin Naquin and investigating Trooper Richard Blanchard, both of whom assure her that they are doing everything to locate Rodriguez, who’s last known address is 145 Terrebonne Lane in Golden Meadow.

Though information is sketchy, the sheriff’s office has joined the hunt by offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who provides information that leads to Rodriguez’s arrest.

State police asks anyone with information call (985) 857-3680. Or call Crimestoppers at 1-800-743-7433.

Dwain Carrell’s last day

Dwain walked from his front steps for the last time on Dec. 26, 2008. He was returning home from handling a situation with his job in Larose when he noticed debris on the roadway.

Fearing that it might cause a wreck, Dwain took it upon himself to clear the wood from road, she said.

That’s when the unthinkable happened. A car struck Dwain, ending his life.

“I was shocked and filled with disbelief,” Mary said. “Dwain was always so alert about his surroundings with the type of job he had. He pushed safety so much; that’s why he went to clear the debris from the road. But, I never thought it would end like that.”

Not being able to see her husband before his final funeral arrangements nearly devastated her.

“I wasn’t in control. I wanted to make sure that they were handling him with care. That they were doing things right,” she said. “He had to be presentable. I always made sure of that.”

Even after his burial, reality still hadn’t set in that her husband of 33 years was gone.

“It took about a week for it to really set in,” she said. “I saw the sadness on our dog Ferdinand’s face when Dwain never came back in the house after that evening.

“Then, when I would sit at the kitchen table. I didn’t see his work truck come down the driveway anymore. Dwain’s calls to me every day after work stopped coming, asking what was for supper. All that, gone in an instant; it’s still hard to digest.”

Anguish lingers a year later

“Existing” is the word Mary Carrell uses to describe her life now. The Galliano woman said, “I don’t know how I am still going.”

Mary and Dwain met while he was working for Comet Construction Company in 1975.

She was a third grade teacher at Golden Meadow Upper Elementary School at the time.

The couple married on Dec. 20 of that same year.

“We met in April of that year, were in engaged by July and married in December,” she boasted. “You wouldn’t think people would marry that fast, but we did. We were supposed to retire this year together, but I just can’t do it.”

Mary said Dwain’s pride and joy were Heather and Matthew, his children; his grandchildren; and his work.

Dwain moved to Louisiana from Arkansas at the age of 19 to begin a career in the oilfield industry. According to his wife, he had very little formal training in any trade. Fortunately, it didn’t take him long to learn.

He joined the Danos and Curole Marine Contractors team as a seasoned offshore construction superintendent in July 1993. As the years followed, Dwain became a well-respected supervisor for the company.

Mary said Dwain often told his son Matthew and his offshore workers that in the workplace, “everyone is replaceable.” While it may be true, according to those who knew him, Dwain was an exception.

“Dwain definitely had certain qualities or traits that will linger with those who knew him for a very long time. Possibly he is one of the rare individuals who will never be forgotten,” said employees from Danos and Curole, shortly after his murder in 2008.

Dwain received the company’s first Employee of the Year award in 2001. Since his death, Danos and Curole administrators renamed the award, the Dwain Carrell Employee of the Year award.

“That shows you just what kind of man my husband was,” she said. “He was hard man with a soft heart. He cared about his employees and his job.”

Mary Carrell looks at pictures of her wedding to her late husband, Dwain Carrell. Authorities continue to search for the man who fatally struck her husband Dec. 26, 2008, as he removed debris from the road near the couple’s Galliano house. * Photo by SOPHIA RUFFIN