Secretary of State Dianna Duran confirmed Friday morning that her car was one of at least three that Santa Fe police say struck a man who was lying in N.M. 599 Thursday night after being killed by another vehicle.

Duran was not injured and not at fault, police say. In fact, she says she thought she ran over an animal in the road where the man was killed near the intersection with Camino La Tierra.

Police have not yet released the name of the 46-year-old man killed and do not know for sure how many vehicles hit the man.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim who lost his life Thursday evening on Highway 599 and Camino La Tierra," Duran said through a statement released via email on Friday morning.

Neither she nor Chief of Staff Ken Ortiz returned telephone messages left by The New Mexican Thursday night seeking comment.

"I can say with confidence that based on the (pedestrian's) injuries, the initial car, not the one driven by the Secretary of State, likely killed the man and he likely was killed instantly," Wheeler said Friday afternoon.

Wheeler said Friday that Duran's blue Honda Accord, her personal car, is one of three vehicles being stored in a city tow yard awaiting processing of evidence. He added that she was "extremely cooperative and grief stricken" while talking with officers Thursday night.

Wheeler initially said that Duran had stopped a couple miles down the road when another motorist flagged her down and told her what had happened. The police captain corrected that statement around 1:30 p.m. Friday, saying she initially stopped at the scene before driving to her home and calling police herself. It is unclear why she stopped initially and then left, but police say they do not anticipate charging her with leaving the scene of an accident.

Duran acknowledged her sorrow in her Friday morning news release.

"This past evening at approximately 7:30 while driving home from work, my car was apparently one of multiple vehicles to pass over what appeared to be an animal that had been struck in the middle of the right lane of Highway 599," Duran's said in the statement.

"We later learned that what I believed to have been an animal was in fact the body of someone who had been hit a few minutes before while crossing the highway.

"I am sure other drivers have been just as shocked and saddened as I have been to learn what had actually taken place in this tragedy. My thoughts and prayers are with the family for this tragic loss of life."

The highway was blocked off all night as investigators were "gathering debris" in an area that extended well over 100 feet. At least three vehicles, Wheeler said, were taken into police custody for processing of possible evidence, including Duran's.

Wheeler said the initial investigation indicated the man was walking either along or in a southbound portion of the roadway north of town.

"We aren't sure how many vehicles may have hit the man or maybe drove through the scene collecting evidence without even realizing it," Wheeler said.

The highway remained closed until 9 a.m. Friday. Wheeler said that was because the size of the crash scene with so much scattered evidence and a lack of adequate lighting on the highway led police to decide to keep the highway closed until sunlight could help them comb the area for evidence.

Contact Geoff Grammer at 986-3076 or ggrammer@sfnewmexican.com. Read his blog at SantaFeCrime.com.