Records: Woman who authorities say struck 'Umbrella Lady' thought she hit utility pole

The woman who authorities said struck and killed the “Umbrella Lady” last week told sheriff deputies she believed she had struck a utility pole and intended to go back to the scene after she fixed her vehicle, court documents show.

On Jan. 5 around 6:30 a.m., Lydia Reis, 63, was in the roadway on West Ina Road, near North Giaconda Way, when she was struck by an eastbound vehicle that authorities said was driven by Guadalupe Solis, 53.

Reis was taken to a hospital in extremely critical condition.

According to deputies who responded to the scene, Reis’ belongings were scattered throughout the crash scene and there were visible car parts mixed in, according to an interim complaint filed by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. The woman who reported the collision told deputies she watched the suspect vehicle, a maroon SUV, continuously cross over the solid white line, known as the “fog line,” of the furthest right-hand lane.

The witness told investigators that she then saw the vehicle strike Reis, who was walking on the south shoulder of Ina, and continue east toward Oracle Road, court documents say. While searching the area for the maroon SUV, an Oro Valley police officer was flagged down by a truck driver who said he saw a woman attempting to fix her vehicle with duct tape in front of a residence.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

Deputies and OVPD officers went to the residence and found Solis as well as the vehicle believed to have been involved in the crash. Solis told deputies that she believed that she had struck a utility pole and her intentions were to repair the vehicle, contact her insurance and go back to the scene, the interim complaint states.

Solis was booked into the Pima County jail on suspicion of a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious physical injury or death.

Three days after the incident, Reis died in the hospital from her injuries. She was a familiar sight to many people driving in the area as she would often walk along the road carrying an umbrella and dressed in bright clothes. In numerous social media tributes, many people called her the “Umbrella Lady.”