‘Happy-go-lucky kid:’ Family calls for justice after 6-year-old killed in Arlington hit-and-run

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Police are searching for the driver responsible for a hit-and-run crash that killed a child in Arlington.

READ: 6-year-old child dies in a hit-and-run on Merrill Road, JSO is still investigating

Crystal was six years old and would’ve turned seven next month. She loved math, science, and art.

“Just a happy-go-lucky kid,” Debra Murray, Crystal’s grandmother, said. “She loved coloring and drawing. Very artistic. Very creative.”

Murray found out Saturday night that her granddaughter was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Arlington. Crystal and her 5-year-old sister were with their mom driving home from the Walmart on Monument Road when the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said a white sedan swerved into their lane forcing the SUV into a telephone pole.

Video Action News Jax got at the scene shows the family’s Chevrolet Equinox, which was barely recognizable. Crystal’s sister and mother are in the hospital, but are expected to be okay.

“She said when it happened, she immediately looked for her kids and she said she saw half the car gone and she knew Crystal was on that side,” Murray said. “I was in shock. I started vomiting. I was devastated.”

JSO said the driver took off and never reported the crash to police. A detective was at a nearby business Monday morning looking through security footage from a camera pointed directly at where the crash happened. The detective said it was going to be seized for evidence.

“What is wrong with people today? The public needs to help find these people. Justice needs to be done,” Murray said.

Murray said both girls were in their booster seats and buckled at the time of the crash.

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