OAK RIDGE, N.C. — Dozens of flowers have been put down at the spot where North Carolina Highway patrol troopers said a driver hit and killed a 14-year-old trick-or-treater on Halloween night.
Police said two girls were walking south on Haw River Road when they were hit from behind by an SUV.
Once EMS arrived, they were able to treat one of the girls on the scene. The other teen, identified as Aliyah Thornhill, was taken to the hospital where she died from her injuries.
Aliyah Thornhill's mother, Ayonna Suttles, is opening up about that night, but also about what she wants people to do after such a tragedy.
Suttles said they recently moved to Durham, but she made a promise that her daughter would get to continue her Halloween tradition of going out with the same girls every year in Oak Ridge.
"I no longer have a car, so I wasn't going to take her, so her dad took her out there and she told me that they weren't going to have an adult chaperone to walk them across Haw River, which I understand the girls are aging, you want to let them off the leash," said Suttles. "I just told her be safe, watch your surroundings."
She said just after seven that night, her daughter's friends' mother called screaming, saying that Aliyah had been hit by a car.
"I told her I will call her back because I had to get in touch with the Aliyah's dad, because I don't have a car," she said. "I called her back numerous times and she never answered."
Suttles said she called multiple people, but she wasn't getting much information and nobody knew how her daughter was doing.
She said when she got to the hospital, she knew something was wrong.
"They took me back and the Chaplain came in and that was it, I knew then at that moment, and then three doctors came in and when they came in, I knew Aliyah didn't make it," said Suttles.
While this tragedy is still difficult to talk about, Suttles remembers what a light her daughter was.
"Aliyah was a star, she was a star here on this earth, you know, she was my earth angel and now she's my guardian angel," she said. "She brought so much joy and love to everyone, she just had this infectious spirit, she was animated, she was a very funny little girl, she was talented, very artistic.
Suttles said she danced, acted, sang, and was an incredible artist. She was also academically gifted. Suttles said she hated math but was great at it. Thornhill preferred science and theater arts.
"I used to tell her all the time like for a 14-year-old, you're so courageous and confident like I didn't have that same, stick-to-itiveness and go-getter attitude," she said. "I'm proud."
It's her personality and spirit that Aliyah Thornhill's mother wants people to remember. She said she wants to start a nonprofit, that can teach people about the importance of healing from ancestral hate and she wants to dedicate it to her daughter.
"It's gonna be a memorial, and it's called 'A Legacy of Love,' and it's gonna be dedicated to my baby girl and her memory because all she wanted to do was love people, she didn't care what they look like, what their cultural background was," Suttles said.
She said she is going to continue teaching people to heal from hate because Aliyah loved everyone and she doesn't want to see it go on anymore.
Suttles asks that if anyone wants to help, the best way to do so is by loving each other.
"Why is it that when a tragedy hits someone in our families, society and community, we understand the assignment of coming together and love. We lock arms, hold hands, regardless of our cultural backgrounds, the colors of our skin or our differences. We put aside our differences. We make it happen seamlessly, effortlessly, without in hatred. Why can't we love one another the same way each and every day? Everyone who's pitching in and lending a hand loved my beautiful baby girl, Aliyah, because of her soul, her light and the love she gave to everyone she encountered on her 14-year journey to this earth. My beautiful baby came here to change the world. Not only that in her life, she'll do it in her death, in honor of Aliyah, I ask that we end the generational curse with ancestral hatred that perpetuates us to keep hurting and harming each other. We will begin to chose love everyday," Suttles said.
Suttles is thankful for everyone who has stepped up to help her in a tough time and said the family will take it one day at a time.
A memorial is planned for Aliyah Thornhill, November 2nd at 6:30 pm at Oak Ridge Town Park. It will be a community gathering for anyone who wants to share memories, look at photos, and honor her.