LYNWOOD, Ill. () — The family of 20-year-old Mariyah Ford is mourning her death after a hit-and-run crash on Illinois Route 394 in Lynwood, and relatives are pleading for the driver to come forward.
Ford, who was from Sauk Village, was remembered by loved ones as outgoing, bubbly and full of promise.
“My daughter did not deserve that. That was my only child. I’m just lost right now,” her father, Levi Ford, said.
Her family said they are still struggling to piece together the moments that led to the deadly crash early Monday morning.
Tanisha Denis, Ford’s aunt, said she and Ford lived together and shared an especially close bond. Denis said they had been at an after-party following a high school reunion and were headed home when their vehicle ran out of gas near Joe Orr Road in Lynwood shortly before midnight.
The pair then decided to walk to a nearby gas station for help.
“We didn’t get that far from the car,” Denis said.
Moments later, Denis said, she saw the crash happen.
“I heard the boom, and I saw something move, but it was her. That car moved her, and she flew,” she said.
Denis said she immediately rushed to help her niece.
“I’m just looking at her condition, like ‘Mariyah can you hear me? Can you hear me? Like are you OK? Mariyah?'” Denis said. “And I instantly got on the phone called 911 and I started doing CPR.”
According to Denis, the driver did not stop after the collision.
Illinois State Police closed all lanes of the highway while investigators examined the scene. Ford was taken to a hospital. She later died from her injuries.
On Tuesday, family members gathered to honor Ford. Relatives said she graduated from Thornridge High School last year and had earned her phlebotomy certificate.
She was the oldest of six children, and was hoping to become a nurse.
The family is urging the driver to come forward.
“We just want to know what happened so that we can move forward,” said Angel Connors, Ford’s aunt. “Because right now it’s just like an open wound that will never be closed until the person come forward.”
Denis said the vehicle involved was an SUV that did not have its lights on, making it difficult to provide a detailed description. Family members are asking anyone who witnessed the crash or has information about the hit-and-run to contact authorities.
Illinois State Police said on Tuesday the crash is still under investigation.
