Grieving Woman Makes Public Plea For Information In Hit-And-Run That Claimed Grandmother's Life
EL MONTE (CBSLA.com) — A grieving woman is expressing her outrage after her grandmother was struck by a vehicle in El Monte and left to die.
Around 7:50 a.m. on Jan. 17, Qing-Ru Zhao Mao never made it across the street on a walk she had taken daily for 10 years.
Police say the 74-year-old grandmother was in the crosswalk at Valley Boulevard and Gibson Road when she was struck by a car.
The driver never stopped, police said.
"When we got the news, we didn't believe it at first," said Sara Lin, her granddaughter.
Despite her heartbreak, Lin is finding courage to help find the person who was behind the wheel.
She spoke to CBS2's Rachel Kim via Skype.
"I don't understand how somebody can just simply strike my grandmother, drive off without stopping and checking to see whether my grandmother was OK," she said.
Detectives say they've looked over security camera footage in the area, none of which captured the crime or the suspect's vehicle
"Once you left the scene you've become a murderer," said Lin. "And if you really cared about your own family, you would have stayed and helped."
Lin says her grandma was just starting to heal after losing her husband two years ago.
Now, she and her family are in mourning again, missing a woman, who they say was kind, strong, and loving.
"I want to bring a sense of justice to her as well so that way she can at least rest in peace and so that our family doesn't have to continue to grieve," Lin said. "If you have any information, please have the courage to step forward."
Police say no witnesses have come forward. Anyone with more information about this case was asked to call the El Monte Police Department immediately.