Christina Spencer watched as a truck plowed into her 6-year-old daughter Crysta Spencer. "It happened so fast," Christina Spencer told The Washington Examiner. "It was the worst day of my life." On April 23, 2007, Crysta had just finished eating a snack of crackers and Kool-Aid and wanted to go to the church across the street to play with friends.
Christina told Crysta to wait, but Crysta said her friend would walk her across the street. Christina didn't realize that the friend was on the other side of the street.
Crysta stepped onto Sixth Street near Orleans Place in Northeast Washington when the large sport utility vehicle barreled into her small body.
The SUV knocked the child forward 20 feet, then sped away.
Crysta was taken to the Children's National Medical Center, but it was too late. She was dead.
The driver and the vehicle have never been found. Christina Spencer hopes that someone with information will come forward.
"I do want to forgive the person who did it, because there's nothing we can do to bring her back. Nobody can replace her," she said. "I wish the person would come forward so I could ask why they did what they did. You took an innocent child away. She didn't do anything to you."
The District is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information.
Detective Michael Miller of the major-crash division said police have some clues. Surveillance cameras from Gallaudet University captured the SUV speeding away, and an off-duty police officer saw the SUV nearly strike another car. The SUV was described as possibly being a green Chevrolet or GMC with rear double doors and Maryland agriculture license plates.
Police would also like to find the driver who was cut off by the SUV during its getaway. This person was driving a light-colored car that might be a Chrysler 300 or a Dodge Magnum.
Anyone with information is asked to call Miller at 202-391-6853 or the Synchronized Operations Command Center at 202-727-9099.