In a tearful plea outside the Santa Cruz County Courthouse, Jennifer Putnam asked for help tracking the person who left her son Joshua Raine Laven dying on the side of Highway 1 on May 4, with his dog at his side.
"I don't want revenge," Jennifer Putnam told a group of reporters. "I just want closure on this."
She was joined by CHP Officer Sarah Jackson, who added that the Highway Patrol is asking for help from body shops in identifying a driver who might have brought in a Dodge Ram from the years 2002-2005 with a damaged passenger mirror and headlight.
The agency identified the year and make of the truck from debris left at the scene.
Jackson said the truck could have been hauling a trailer or been camping along the coast and may have been heading north to cities including Half Moon Bay, Redwood City or San Mateo.
The only lead the department has is the damage to the vehicle.
"How would you like it if it was one of your family members left to die by the side of the road?" asked Putnam, who flew to Santa Cruz from Cape Cod to make her plea for help. "If they had reported it, maybe Josh could have been saved."
Joshua Laven was a photographer, hairdresser and yoga teacher who took a seven-month bicycle trip across the country with his dog in honor of a close friend of his who died of a heart attack.
The family is asking for donations for the reward fund.
