Aurora police are asking the public’s help in finding a man whose car was involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident Monday night.

Authorities say they want to question vehicle owner Gustavo Villarreal, 44, of the 1600 block of Dearborn Avenue, to see whether he can shed light on the accident that killed Theresa Burns, 57, of Des Plaines and injured a Plainfield man. Villarreal has not been charged in connection with the incident.

Burns, a counselor at a residential school for young people with mental health issues, was struck by a 1997 Geo Metro as she and another staff member ushered a student to safety after the young woman had sat down in the roadway, police said.

Burns was talking with the student, 18, outside the Northern Illinois Academy around 5:30 p.m. Monday when the young woman ran into the roadway adjacent to the school and sat down.

Burns and the Plainfield man, also a staff member at the school, were able to get the student out of the road, but were hit by the car. Burns was pronounced dead a short time later. The man was treated and released at a local hospital.

The male driver of the car fled, leaving the Geo Metro at the site of the accident on Church Road, north of the intersection with Corporate Boulevard. Police have not said Villarreal is the driver, but they did say he is the vehicle’s owner, and that his family has reported him missing.



Police say Villarreal has brown hair and eyes, is about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 158 pounds. Anyone with information on the crash or Villarreal’s whereabouts is asked to call the Aurora police at 630- 256-5630.