ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. — Burlington Police are still actively on the hunt for Nathaniel Newton. He's accused of hitting, and killing, Reggie Jeffreys with his car, after he swerved into the opposite lane. Jeffreys was walking on the sidewalk, around the corner from his home.
Investigators say warrants are out for the arrest of the driver, who walked away from the hospital.
Newton is no stranger to the criminal justice system, and his record dates back to 1999. His prior convictions range from larceny and communicating threats, to assault, and breaking and entering.
But Reggie Jeffreys' church family doesn't care about these priors - what they care about is Newton coming forward, owning up, and turning himself in.
For many across Alamance County and beyond, when Reggie Jeffreys died, it felt like the music died with him.
"It left a void that can't be filled by anyone," said friend and fellow church member Thomas Mills.
Melfield Church in Haw River, once filled with Jeffreys' joyful voice over the microphone and uplifting melody coming from the keyboard, now, sits - silent. For several years, he served as the praise leader for the congregation.
"You feel God when Reggie played," said Renee Holman, "He knew what he was doing."
"To lose such a one like that is just horrific," said Pastor Dannie Williams.
The church may be silent, but Wednesday night, it was far from empty, as dozen gathered to show how much he meant, and how much it hurts now that he's gone.
"We were going over a song together. We were going to sing Sunday morning," said Carolyn Guy, "And to know that I'll never get to do that again… It hurts. It truly hurts."
"He brought me out of my shell. I lead a song. I don't even know if I'll be able to do that," said Holman.
"I kept saying no, not my Reggie, not my brother," said Williams, about the moments after he found out what happened to his friend.
Jeffreys died unexpectedly after he was hit by a car while walking on the sidewalk Monday. The suspect is still on the run, after taking off from the hospital.
While nothing will bring Jeffreys back, and no one will replace his light, they hope the person responsible will be held accountable.
"Don't be a coward. This was a human being whose life has been snuffed away from the rest of us," said Williams.
"For the sake of those who love him, for closure, please turn yourself in," said Ramona Allen.
We've gotten a lot of questions about why Newton was able to just leave the hospital on Monday. Burlington Police tell WFMY News 2, at the time, they didn't have enough evidence to arrest him on manslaughter charges. In addition, Alamance Regional doesn't have a policy to hold patients for police.