TORONTO -- The mother of a 16-year-old girl killed in a hit-and-run crash in Brampton this weekend is appealing to the public for information in her daughter's death.
Shortly after midnight on Sunday, emergency officials received a report from a motorist who had located a pedestrian lying in the eastbound lanes of Queen Street, near Cherrycrest Drive.
Officers said the caller reported that they had discovered the victim suffering from trauma to her head.
Upon arrival at the scene, emergency responders transported the teenage girl to a trauma centre with life-threatening injuries where she was later pronounced dead.
She has since been identified by police as Dianna Manan.
"When I [saw] her, it was at the hospital at 2:45 am, when I went there. It was just hard for me," Manan's mother, Savi Lakeram, said in an interview with CTV News Toronto. "Whatever happened to her, she didn't deserve to be thrown like an animal or something. Even animals don't die that way."
Manan was previously a Grade 11 student at Aurora High school, until she moved to Toronto to live with her grandmother in September. In a letter to the high school’s community, the York Region District School Board said staff trained to support with tragic incidents would be available to students and staff.
“We want to ensure our community knows that support is available if needed to help cope with the range of feelings that may be happening at this time," the letter reads.
Manan's mother said her daughter was a "happy kid" who loved helping children. "She said she wanted to be a paediatrician," Lakeram said . "That's not going to be happen, because she's not here."
Lakeram told CTV News Toronto that Manan was picked up by friends from her grandmother's Toronto home at around 10 a.m. on Jan. 4.
She was found suffering from critical injuries at around 12:20 a.m. in Brampton, police said. Her mother wants to know what she was doing in that area.
"She never mentioned Brampton," Lakeram said. "I know somebody out there knows something about her."
A GoFundMe page has been organized by the family to help raise funds for Manan's funeral.
Police search for driver of vehicle
The vehicle involved in the deadly crash did not remain at the scene and has not been located, officials said.
No description of the suspect vehicle has been released thus far.
“Investigators are urging the driver of the vehicle to consult with a lawyer and make arrangements to speak with police,” officers said in a news release.
“Investigators are also appealing for anyone that may have travelled through the area around midnight or anyone with dashcam or surveillance footage to contact investigators.”
Anyone with further information is asked to contact Peel Regional Police’s major collision bureau at 905-453-2121, ext. 3710 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
