SLO police identify alleged driver who hit and killed couple 

San Luis Obispo police released the name of the driver who allegedly hit and killed a local couple and their dog last month—three weeks after the incident amid mounting public pressure on the investigation.

Daniel Angel Saligan Patricio, 24, was driving in the 3400 block of Sacramento Drive on Nov. 21 when "he lost control of his vehicle" and fatally struck Matthew Chachere, 39, and Jennifer Besser, 36, while they were walking their dog, according to a Dec. 15 SLO Police Department update.

Excessive speed was likely a factor in the crash, the report said.

After the crash, SLO officers responded to the scene and were initially unaware that the car hit any persons. Officers took down a collision report and the car was towed. Alcohol or drugs were not deemed factors.

"The car had reportedly struck the curb, a street sign, and the abutment of the bridge," according to police accounts.

The bodies of Chachere and Besser weren't discovered for another 28 hours. The next day, at 4:40 p.m., a citizen reported seeing a deceased dog in the creek bed at the same location as the crash.

"Officers investigated the scene and attempted to contact the owners of the dog but were unsuccessful," the police account stated.

Later that night, a missing persons report was filed for Chachere and Besser. A SLOPD dispatcher then reportedly made the connection between the deceased dog and the couple.

"Officers returned to the heavily wooded creek bed, and after further search of the area, discovered the deceased bodies of the missing residents under heavy brush," according to police reports.

For three weeks after the incident, police identified Patricio as "a 24-year-old male" and declared the investigation ongoing, but did not release his name until Dec. 15. That—in addition to the delayed discovery of the couple's bodies—drew criticism from SLO County community members and Chachere's family.

According to KSBY, Chachere's parents wrote a letter to SLO Police Chief Rick Scott on Dec. 16 expressing frustration with the handling of their son's death, which they shared with the TV news station.

"Why was there no breath or blood analysis conducted by the officers?" the Chacheres reportedly wrote in the letter. "It is inconceivable."

The family added, per KSBY, that "we expect law enforcement to do its job despite failing to perform as anyone would have expected of a competent law enforcement agency at the scene of the incident that resulted in the death of Matt and his girlfriend, Jennifer."

Others weighed in on social media. Facebook user Linda Downing Mulay commented on a SLO Police Department post that "something stinks with this whole investigation."

"How can two people end up hidden [in] the bushes along with a dog and the driver didn't know anything about it. I don't believe it," she wrote on Facebook.

In its Dec. 15 update, the SLO Police Department emphasized that the investigation is ongoing and remains a top priority. It asked for the community's patience.

"This is a complex case with a variety of intricate and technical evidence that is still being collected and analyzed. This evidence, we anticipate, will present the most accurate account of the incident," the update read. "SLOPD remains committed to the thorough completion of the investigation and appreciates the patience of the community while we work towards providing important answers to family members and our community in pursuit of justice." Δ