PHOENIX — The family of a Phoenix mother killed in a rollover crash is sharing her story and asking why the man behind the wheel has not been arrested or charged nearly three weeks later.
Mayra Ramirez, 33, was one of four people ejected from a SUV when it rolled near 7th Avenue and Dunlap Avenue on Aug. 15. Ramirez did not survive.
“Our sister lost her life in a car accident. She had no control over it,” Jolleen Spencer said.
Ramirez was a single mother of three. Her family said she had gone out with a friend that Friday night and got into the car believing the driver would take her home.
“She said, ‘OK, bye. See you later.’ I never saw her again,” her sister, Judette Varela, said.
Ramirez’s mother, Yesenia Vega, said detectives later arrived at her home with the news.
“I had detectives at my door saying there had been a rollover accident, and she didn’t make it,” Ramirez’s mother, Yesenia Vega said.
Phoenix police said the events leading to the crash began early Saturday morning, when officers responded to reports of a man with a gun near 19th and Peoria avenues. A caller reported that a man pointed a gun at someone at a nearby business before leaving in a white SUV.
Officers later spotted the vehicle and attempted to stop it, but police said the driver took off. Officers did not pursue the SUV.
Vega said another woman who survived the crash told investigators that the passengers had been yelling at the driver to stop.
“The other surviving female has already spoken, and she has said they were yelling at him to stop, that they were not being chased,” Vega said. “But instead, he floored it.”
Police initially said evidence indicated the driver was speeding when he lost control. Investigators also said possible impairment was being considered as a factor in the crash.
Three people survived the rollover including the driver. Police have not announced an arrest or filed charges in the case.
“Justice is inching along,” Vega said.
ABC15 asked Phoenix police for an update on the investigation. The department declined to comment further, citing the ongoing investigation.
As they wait for answers, Ramirez’s loved ones said no arrest, charge or courtroom outcome can bring back the daughter, sister, friend and mother they lost.
“She was a single mom, working night and day, while still helping all of us,” her sister, Yasmine Sandoval, said.
“He could have let her out. He could have pulled over,” Spencer said. “He had every choice, and he didn’t.”
Ramirez’s family has created a GoFundMe to help support her three children.
