A 68-year-old man’s body was discovered Tuesday, Feb. 21 on the 101 Freeway in Thousand Oaks.

The man was identified as Rogelio Razo Paredes, a United States veteran.

According to California Highway Patrol Officer Marco Marin, drivers reported the incident at 7:17 a.m., describing an object that appeared to be covered in a blanket on the center median of the 101 Freeway near Rancho Road. Paredes, however, was not wrapped in a blanket –– his clothing only made it appear so.

After the discovery, one freeway lane was closed for four hours.

According to Marin, CHP officials believe that Paredes, who had dementia, wandered onto the freeway and was hit by a car.

An autopsy later provided more physical evidence, which was then collected and sent to a lab to be examined for any clues that could lead to a positive identification of the vehicle.

“[Identifying the vehicle was] very simple; we took the [physical evidence found] to the Toyota dealership and matched the part number,” Marin said.

Because Paredes received fatal injuries that resulted in his death, the hit-and-run is no longer classified as a misdemeanor.

“The [California Highway Patrol] is investigating the death as a felony hit-and-run collision,” Marin said.

The CHP has already received several phone calls concerning the hit-and-run, which, Marin said, have been beneficial to the investigation. However, the person responsible for the hit-and-run has not yet come forward.

If that person is caught, he will be charged with both a felony hit-and-run — requiring one to four years of jail time — and a fine between $1,000 and $10,000.

“Someone out there knows they struck a human being or a large object,” CHP Moorpark Commander R.D. Cohan said in a statement. “Following the collision, they did nothing; there is no evidence to suggest they returned to the scene to check on what they struck, or called 911. [They] need to do the right thing and call us.”