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TAYLORSVILLE -- Police are still looking for the driver of a minivan who hit and killed a 1-year-old girl in Taylorsville.
The toddler, Vicsayra Maribel Garcia, died Friday night after she was hit by a white minivan while standing on the curb outside her Majestic Oaks home near 800 West and 4600 South around 7:30.
The driver didn't stop, didn't check to see if she was OK. She just took off.
–Det. Shannon Bennett
Saturday afternoon, stuffed animals, toys and lit candles marked the spot where Garcia was hit. Family and friends gathered Saturday evening for a candlelight vigil to remember a little girl lost.
Witnesses told police the little girl was playing on the side of the road in a rain gutter-type dip when the driver of the minivan made a U-turn and hit her.
"We had wondered that ourselves if she ran out into the road or what exactly happened, and witnesses are telling us she was just standing in the curb and was hit," said Taylorsville police Det. Shannon Bennett.
The family had gathered with other family members and friends to celebrate Pioneer Day. Her mother and father ran to get her, but it was already too late.
"The driver didn't stop, didn't check to see if she was OK. She just took off," said Bennett.
Witnesses told police the female driver, who is believed to be in her early 20s, comes through the neighborhood every few days selling corn, tamales and shaved ice. Investigators say it's possible the driver doesn't even know what happened, but residents say cars speed through the neighborhood all the time.
"People are just constantly speeding on this road," said Lauren Pearson, whose family lives a few houses away from the Garcia family. "It's just a concern for everyone that people slow down. Maybe speed bumps needs to be placed or something."
There are signs with a posted speed limit of 11.5 miles per hour, but residents say drivers rarely follow them. Pearson says she didn't know the Garcias and can't imagine what they're going through.
"My heart goes out to them," she said. "It's a sad situation, I mean it really is. I have kids of my own and I would hate to be in their shoes. I really would."
The minivan could be a 1997 or 1998 Dodge with dark, tinted windows, rust on bottom panels and black molding on the doors. Investigators are asking anyone with any information to call the Taylorsville Police Department at 801-743-7000.
E-mail: acabrero@ksl.com
