Candlelight vigil in honor of 12-year-old girl killed in Midland hit-and-run
MIDLAND, Wash. - A candlelight vigil was held in honor of a 12-year-old girl who was killed over the weekend in a hit-and-run crash in Midland.
Family members said Immaculee Goldade was a beautiful soul who was kind and forgiving, during the vigil at Midland Elementary School. There were songs and prayers for both Immaculee and the Goldade Family.
"I just feel like, it’s beautiful how many people came out," said Imaculee’s aunt Rebeca Mayor. "You see all the faces here and all the candles. It overpowers all the evil that has happened here."
Immaculee was walking home after playing outside the school with her friend Kathleen Olson, 12, on Saturday when deputies said a flatbed pickup truck struck the girls on 104th Street East. Goldade was pronounced dead on the scene, according to deputies.
"It’s hard to think that someone killed my sister, and they’re not doing the right thing. I mean how could you live with yourself if you knew that," said Gianna Goldade, sister of Immaculee. "Accidents happen, you got to own up to your mistakes, and it just came to me. Forgiveness. That’s it. It just came to me that Immaculee forgives him and I do too."
Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies said the pickup truck was stolen and has since been recovered. The suspect is still on the run.
On Monday, deputies released new photos of a man who was seen getting out of the stolen truck and are calling him a person of interest.
Deputies need help identifying suspect in hit-and-run crash that killed 12-year-old girl
Pierce County Sheriff's Department needs help identifying a suspect possibly connected to a hit-and-run crash that killed a 12-year-old girl and injured another on Saturday.
Olson survived the hit-and-run crash and is now recovering from injuries at home. Her mom said everyone is going through moments of deep grief over the loss of Immaculee.
"They were holding hands and Kathleen said the last thing she remembers is Immaculee saying, ‘we’re almost home’ and the next thing she knew, she was in the ambulance with strange faces around her. She didn’t hear the truck coming. She didn’t know anything," said Rachel Olson, Kathleen’s mom. "I’m so relieved that Kathleen is okay, but the loss of Immaculee… Kathleen and Immaculee were on the phone every single day just talking and making plans and just doing what 12-year-old girls do and this is a tremendous loss."
Immaculee was one of eight children. Her parents and all of her siblings are missing her presence.
"When we do kid countdown in the car and make sure everybody is there, she’s not there," said Amber Goldad, Immaculee’s mom. "You don’t want to skip her name she’s not there."
"We were all gathered in the living room, and it was hard because our dog was looking for her, you know, looking to see if everybody’s there in the house and she wasn’t," said Gianna. "It’s like, there is one empty space now. It’s going to be hard because we will never fill. It will never go away."
The family is asking the driver to turn himself in.
If you have any information on this case, get in touch with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
Watch FOX 13 Seattle for the latest news:
Stay connected with FOX 13 News on all platforms:
DOWNLOAD: FOX 13 News and Weather Apps
WATCH: FOX 13 News Live
SUBSCRIBE: FOX 13 on YouTube
DAILY BRIEF: Sign Up For Our Newsletter
FOLLOW: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram