Family Desperate For Answers After Son Dies In Hit-And-Run
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – "I don't know how I'm going to live without him," cried Rosalee Suggs, while looking at pictures of her son, John Ratzell. "I've got 5 others...but he and I were so close, we were close, we were buddies," she sobbed.
The heartbroken mother is left with nothing but pictures and memories of her son. The 54-year-old was killed last Wednesday on Oakland Park Blvd just west of I-95.
Someone hit him while he was riding his bike and took off, leaving him dead on the scene and his devastated family behind. "Right now I'm not so full of anger as I am with sorrow," said Rosalee. "That person should not have left my son on the street."
John's mom and sister are pleading for help, hoping someone will come forward with clues to help detectives find the driver.
"I don't think there's a mother or a father or a brother or a sister out there, that isn't hurt by you leaving one in the road like that," said John's sister, Kathleen. "I couldn't do it to them...please don't do it to us," she cried.
John was just three blocks from the family business when he was hit. He was on his way to help his mom, as he did so often.
Oakland Park Boulevard is a very busy road – the crash happened at 3:45 in the afternoon last Wednesday. His family and detectives believe that somebody has critical clues. "You would think somebody had saw something and would notify the authorities that they had saw the car , the license plate number, something," said John's brother, Joe Suggs.
The sad irony for John's family is that he was known as someone who would help everyone, yet whomever hit the 54-year-old didn't stop to help him.
If you have information that can help investigators, call Broward Crimestoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477).
