CHICAGO (WLS) — A grieving family is seeking clarity after their daughter was tragically abandoned at the location of a car accident on Chicago’s East Side.
Authorities report that Suzanna Marie Garcia was discovered in the passenger seat, while the driver had already fled the scene.
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Garcia’s parents have suspicions about the identity of the person driving the vehicle at the time of the fatal crash. They are now determined to uncover the truth about the incident.
“She was always smiling, even if sometimes it wasn’t genuine. She always had a smile,” recalled her father, Ascension Andrade.
Now, those smiles remain only in their memories.
“The individual with her just left her there. It doesn’t make sense to me,” Andrade expressed.
Garcia, 38, a mom to three, was found inside a gray SUV that crashed into a pole near the 95th Street bridge over the Calumet River on the morning of New Year’s Day. She was in the passenger seat, but the driver was nowhere to be found.
Her mom and dad are trying to cope with the driver’s decision not to call for help.
“Maybe she would’ve had a chance. Yes, she would’ve been in the hospital, injured. But we would’ve preferred that than where she is now,” mother Maricela Andrade said.
“We didn’t find out until 8 at night. Oh my gosh, we didn’t know,” Ascension Andrade said.
Garcia was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her parents say the first time they will see her body will be at the funeral Wednesday, as they try to handle having more questions than answers.
“All I want to know is what exactly happened, like how it happened, what led to that?” Maricela Andrade said.
Ascension Andrade has one clear message for the driver.
“Just, just turn yourself in. Just face the consequence,” he said.
Chicago police said no one is in custody, and they are still investigating the case.
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