A Clinton, Md., family is looking for closure after their loved one was killed in a hit-and-run accident earlier this month.
Police say 22-year-old Tiara Nichelle Jackson was driving on the Outer Loop near the Ritchie Marlboro Road exit just before 2 a.m. June 8 when her 2004 Chrysler Sebring hit a guardrail and spun out.
Authorities told News4 they believe Jackson then got out of the car and walked into the roadway, where she was struck by multiple vehicles.
"When I heard the news, it was like a dream or something; not Tiara, not Tiara," said Jackson's brother, Chase Martin.
Jackson's family said she loved music, poetry and her 18-month-old son, who is too young to understand that his mom is gone. Since the accident, he fixates on pictures of his mother.
Investigators are classifying the incident as a hit-and-run, saying that none of the cars that hit Jackson stayed on the scene.
"We know someone had to see something, they know something, someone’s car came home that was smashed and it wasn’t when they left home..." said Jackson's mother, Kim Martin.
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What they know right now is that police say Jackson's car hit the guard rail twice.
"The car is smashed in the rear, so I don’t know if someone hit her in the back that would’ve caused the accident. It's just up in the air right now," said Jackson's father, Levi Martin.
For now, there's a void that Jackson's laughter, sense of humor and poetry used to fill.
"She's the one who kept everyone laughing, keeping everyone’s spirits lifted," her mother said. "It’s gonna be hard not having that bright sunshine anymore."
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Maryland State Police at (301) 568-8101.
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