Natasha Pettigrew

Maryland State police say Pettigrew was struck by a Cadillac Escalade driven by Christy Littleford of Upper Marlboro as she was riding her bike. Police say Littleford did not stop but instead drove nearly four miles to her Upper Marlboro home, even though the victim's bicycle was still lodged underneath the SUV. Pettigrew lay dying on Rt. 202 near the Prince George's County Community College campus.

Police say Littleford claimed she did not want to stop in the early morning hours and thought she had hit either a deer or a dog. Investigators say when Littleford and her husband realized a bicycle was lodged underneath her Escalade, she called Prince George's County police.


Natasha aspired to be the next United States Senator for Maryland. She was a lifelong Marylander. Her platform, stated at her website, focused on her belief that the Federal Government had gotten away from the spirit of Abraham Lincoln's immortal Gettysburg Address, that, "of the people, by the people, for the people" should always describe Government's actions. She also believed in holding elected officials accountable for their actions, and their decisions made on behalf of the people. She chose to run as a Green Party candidate rather than as a Democrat or Republican because she felt her campaign was most in line with the Green Party's 10 Key Values.

Her philosophy about life, and work, can perhaps best be summarized in her own words that, ''help should not be a dirty word.''

Raised by her mother and grandmother, Natasha felt she developed an early sense of responsibility and hard work. She felt everyone needed someone to believe in them to be successful in life, and that she and her mother had always done that for one another.

Natasha earned a BS in Zoology and a BA in Criminology from the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. In the fall of 2008, she entered the University Of Miami School Of Law in Florida. Her sole interest, as is stated at her website, in attending law school was to help others. She was interested in public interest law, particularly juvenile advocacy.

Volunteering was always important to Natasha, and over the course of her life, she donated her time at the Children's Hospital in Washington, DC, several animal groups in the Washington Metropolitan Area, the American Red Cross, and many other organizations.

While in law school, she gave back to the Miami community through an organization at UM Law called HOPE (Helping Others through Pro Bono Efforts). She was an intern for the University Of Miami School Of Law's Children & Youth Law Clinic, which gave her the opportunity to represent the foster kids and former foster kids of Miami.

Despite her break to run for United States Senator, Natasha was determined to become an attorney. Her personal interests included biking, running, swimming, knitting, reading and spending time with her family and friends, and her dog.