The brother of a man suspected in the July 9 hit-and-run death of a Syosset nun in Water Mill was himself arrested recently, after authorities say he lied about having had contact with his fugitive brother.
Miguel Ixpec-Chitay was charged with offering a false statement to a federal agent, said Det. Sgt. Lisa Costa of the Southampton Town Police Department. He was picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at his home on Horton Avenue in Riverhead, early on the morning of Sept. 13, according to Costa.
Ixpec-Chitay is jailed and the case was taken to the attorney general's office, she said.
His brother, Carlos Armando Ixpec-Chitay, 30, is said to have been driving his employer's vehicle when he fatally struck 59-year-old Sister Jackie Walsh, a pastoral associate at St. Edward the Confessor, who was staying at a nearby retreat house with fellow members of the Sisters of Mercy.
Newsday reports that, according to a criminal complaint, Miguel Ixpec-Chitay told federal authorities on July 13 he had not been on the phone with his brother for weeks, but records proved they had 19 phone calls on July 9 and July 10, the day of and the day following the hit-and-run.
Costa said authorities believe both men are in the U.S. illegally.
Police have said Carlos Armando Ixpec-Chitay was known to frequent Water Mill and Riverhead, but now they believe he has fled New York State. A $5,000 reward is being offered for help locating him.
Costa said the Sept. 13 arrest is in furtherance of the investigation to track down Carlos Armando Ixpec-Chitay. “We’re working in conjunction with several different agencies to locate Mr. Chitay," she said.
