By JOSEPH B. NADEAU

BLACKSTONE — Police know it was a snow plow that first struck Rita M. Plante, 50, as she walked along a snow- and ice-choked section of Blackstone Street Tuesday evening, but who was driving that plow remained a mystery Friday.

Plante, the mother of five grown children, lived on Blackstone Street with her husband Ernie. She was walking in the direction of nearby Main Street when she was struck by the plow at 5:30 p.m.
A car behind the plow, operated by a local woman, struck the victim a second time as the plow-bearing pick-up drove on past the victim, according to police.
The second woman, who police have not identified, stopped and sought assistance for Plante. The victim died while being transported by rescue to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.
Police put out a description of the white Ford F-style series pick-up truck and its yellow tapered plow immediately following the accident but still had not located the vehicle or its driver as of Friday, according to Lt. Gregory Gilmore.
Police have been getting calls from area residents offering potential leads on the suspect vehicle but none have checked out as being involved in the accident, he said.
Police also thought the driver might come into the police department voluntarily in the days after the accident.
"Our hope was that the person would develop a conscience and turn themselves in over the course of 24 or 48 hours, but that hasn't happened," Gilmore said.
Instead, police are now looking to someone with information about the driver to come forward and put an end to the mystery.
"People call and give us a lead and we check it out," he said. Some of the calls have resulted in an investigation of vehicles that closely resemble the suspected truck — and some are far off the mark, he noted.
 Gilmore declined to comment on the methods used to check out the reports but said the department will continue to investigate any lead that comes in from the public.
The hardest part of the wait for more information has been carried by Plante's family, he noted.
"It's a tough time for them but it is a large family and they are getting lots of support," he said
Anyone with information about the accident can call the Blackstone Police at 1-508-883-1212, Gilmore said.