Mother of teenage girl killed in hit-and-run crash seeks justice

Angela Phillips has been searching for answers since her 14-year-old daughter, Arie, was fatally struck Easter Sunday in a hit-and-run wreck on Flat Rock Road.

The teenage girl was hit by a pickup truck around 9:20 p.m. as she walked south on the sidewalk in the 6300 block of Flat Rock Road. A witness told police a truck stopped at Beaver Run and Kitten Lake Drive before it traveled south toward Milgen Road. The driver then swerved the pickup onto the sidewalk and struck the teen before fleeing.

Arie of Fayetteville, N.C., was visiting Columbus at the time of the crash. She was listed in critical condition after being rushed to Midtown Medical Center.

Arie was pronounced dead at the hospital at 7:16 p.m. Wednesday, said Muscogee County Deputy Coroner Charles Newton. Her body was transported to the crime lab in Atlanta on Thursday for an autopsy.

Phillips said she has received an overwhelming amount of support that helped her to bear the loss of her “baby girl,” someone whose positive and uplifting spirit attracted several close friends.

As a freshman at Gray’s Creek High School, Arie aspired to attend college to pursue a career in forensics.

“My daughter was very active and had so many plans, and nobody had the right to interrupt her story,” Phillips said. “Who knows what she was going to be? Nobody had the right to interrupt that and take that opportunity away from her.”

Phillips, who cherished the “girl time” she had with her daughter, is now searching for closure and hoping the person who killed her “baby angel” will be held accountable.

“Have the heart to turn yourself in and just accept the consequences, but give my daughter that justice and that peace,” Phillips pleaded.

The Motor Squad Division of the Columbus Police Department released a surveillance photo Thursday of the vehicle they believe struck the girl.

Police Cpl. Rosalyn D. Hall is asking the public’s help to identify the driver of the crimson/burgundy, four-door crew cab pickup with chrome step rails and alloy wheels. The truck has possible damage to the right front tire, fender, hood or windshield area. It was last seen leaving the Kitten Lake Drive area around 9:15 p.m. Sunday before traveling south on Flat Rock Road.

Anyone with information should call Hall at 706-225-4040.

This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 6:19 PM with the headline "Mother of teenage girl killed in hit-and-run crash seeks justice."