A homicide victim found in eastern Curry County on Thursday morning is a 51-year-old truck driver from Tucumcari, Ronnie Hittson, said Curry County Undersheriff Wesley Waller on Friday.

Waller said the victim was positively identified by medical investigators.

Police records show a truck driver called 911 just before 7 a.m. Thursday to report a possibly unconscious male lying in the ditch southeast of State Road 523 and Sugarbeet Road.

Law enforcement is also looking to medical investigators to determine the victim’s cause of death, Waller said.

Waller confirmed a semi-truck belonging to Hittson was found on Mabry Drive in Clovis on Thursday and has been processed for evidence.
District Attorney Matt Chandler said representatives from his office contacted Hittson’s family Thursday as part of the investigation.

Jack Hittson, a brother of the victim who lives in Amarillo, said on Thursday he had last seen his brother in 2002 when he worked in Amarillo. But he had not seen him since then which is when Ronnie Hittson moved back to Tucumcari, Jack Hittson said.

Charolette Stull said Thursday she has known Ronnie Hittson for about 20 years. A commercial truck driver, Stull said Ronnie Hittson had worked at different times for Stull Trucking & Feed, owned by Stull and her husband, Dale,  based in Nara Visa. Stull said she had not seen Hittson in about three years. Stull said she thought that Ronnie Hittson had been driving for some time for the Tucumcari Mountain Cheese Factory.

An official of the Cheese Factory was not available for comment on Friday.

Ronnie Hittson married the Stull’s daughter, Carilyn, said Charolette Stull. The couple had two children and Charolette and Dale Stull are guardians of Katelind, 11, and Chase, 8, Charolette Stull said.

Referring to Ronnie Hittson, “He’s kind of a loner,” said Sarah Hittson, wife of Gary Hittson of Tucumcari, who is the victim’s brother.
Family members were unavailable Friday for comment.

Quay County Sun Associate Publisher Chelle Delaney contributed to this report.