Inset (left): Stephanie Holt (Macomb County Prosecutor's Office). Inset (right): Mary Hulswit (Legacy Obituary). Background: The St. Clair Shores, Mich., neighborhood where Mary Hulswit was found dead (Google Maps).
A Michigan woman who left a great-grandmother for dead after backing into her with her car has learned her fate after reaching a plea deal.
Stephanie Holt, 32, pleaded no contest in July to failure to stop at the scene of an accident when at fault, causing death, in connection with the death of 76-year-old Mary Hulswit. Hulswit was found dead at the foot of her driveway at her St. Clair Shores, Michigan, home on Nov. 1, 2025. An investigation determined that Holt struck Hulswit with her car while backing out of her own driveway.
According to reporting by Detroit Fox affiliate WJBK, investigators said Holt drove away after hitting Hulswit but returned to the scene later. Holt eventually turned herself in to police.
Hulswit was found unresponsive at the end of her driveway. Prosecutors said she had injuries that were "consistent with being struck by a vehicle" and was declared dead at the scene. A great-grandmother to one child, Hulswit also left behind a husband of 55 years, several siblings, two children and three grandchildren.
On Thursday, the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office announced that Holt was sentenced to two years' probation and 365 days in jail, which will be served on weekends. Prosecutors said Holt would spend 100 weekends in jail, beginning Fridays at 5 p.m. She was also ordered not to have any contact with Hulswit's family and to serve 200 hours of community service.
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido wrote on Facebook, "No one should ever leave the scene of an injury accident. This defendant will have time to consider her choice of leaving when she should have called for help. Our thoughts remain with the family as they continue to live with a loss that can never be undone."