Elderly woman from Sarasota believed responsible for crash that killed 2 children, injured mother

SPD ID's 'elderly woman as hit-and-run suspect

Kimberly Kuizon reports.

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Sarasota Police Department says they have found the vehicle involved in a crash that killed two children and critically injured their mother, and they believe the driver is an elderly woman who is cooperating with investigators.

What we know:

The crash happened Monday night in the area of SR 683 (North Washington/301) and 7th St.

Police say the woman was pushing a stroller with her children, a 2-year-old and a 5-month-old, when they were hit.

At a news conference Thursday afternoon, police said the victims were not in a crosswalk at the time of the crash.

Photo courtesy of the Sarasota Police Department.

Right after the crash, investigators began canvassing the area, looking for witnesses and surveillance cameras. On Wednesday, they found the car they believed to be involved with the 73-year-old woman as the suspected driver.

"Any crash, you have a duty to report that," said Sarasota Police Officer Jason Frank. "When it is a hit-and-run, people get scared, we understand that, but when you leave is when the tables turn.

Frank is a traffic homicide investigator with the Sarasota Police Department.

"You can’t really say what the person is thinking," he said. "We’ve had crashes in the past where people thought they hit trees, curves. You can’ really put words in their mouths. This is why these investigations take so long, because we want to give every opportunity for them to tell us what happened, what they think happened."

What they're saying:

April Dunakin said that prior to the tragedy, the family was ahead of her in line at the Speedway convenience store on Washington Blvd. near 6th St.

"The little girl was just all over the store, you know, jumping around saying, 'Daddy, Daddy, I love you! I love you!'"

"I only had one item, and I was right behind them, and I heard the biggest boom impact I've ever heard, and I said, 'Oh God, no,'" Dunakin continued.

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911 calls released Wednesday captured the panicked efforts to help the mother and her two children.

A memorial has been placed at the crash site.

"We saw that there was a guy leaning over somebody on the ground that had a baby in their hands," one caller can be heard telling the dispatcher.

"Oh my God. Oh my God, please help us," Dunakin said during her call to police. "Oh, my dear Jesus God. I swear to God, please. Please help us. I want to pray for a miracle."

Police said forensic testing will be done on the vehicle to confirm its involvement in the tragedy.

"We will conduct a search warrant on the vehicle. Basically, what we are looking for is any evidence of that crime. Clothing fibers, DNA, anything that we can be 100% sure that driver was involved," said Frank.

While the investigation remains active, a memorial continues to grow at the site, where two children were lost and a family forever separated.

What we don't know:

The names of the victims and driver have not been released by police.

The Source: The information for this story came from the Sarasota Police Department and previous reporting by FOX 13 News.

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