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William Ralph Teets was 53 when he died alone in the median of Chamberlayne Avenue on a cold winter night.

No family members were present when he was buried at Evergreen Cemetery.

No relatives were on hand Friday when the man who struck and killed Teets before driving away appeared in court to plead guilty to felony hit-and-run.

To this date, authorities have been unable to locate any of Teets’ family members to inform them of his death on Jan. 16, when he was struck by a 2002 Buick Park Avenue with such force that his body was thrown more than 47 feet.

Teets, however, has had one powerful advocate since his death: Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Christine A. Cestaro.

While working tirelessly in an attempt to locate Teets’ relatives, Cestaro has also prosecuted Barry E. Mallory, who was driving the car that struck and killed Teets. That prosecution came to a head Friday when Cestaro argued successfully for Richmond Circuit Judge Richard D. Taylor Jr. to hand down a prison term that was three times longer than that recommended by state sentencing guidelines.