CLEVELAND, Ohio — Carmen Gandarilla's daughter, Janet Reyes, was in town from Arizona visiting her mother for the week.
"She comes into a room, everybody loves her. She lights up the place. She's beautiful," Gandarilla said.
The two went to brunch Thursday, then Janet went to get her hair done. Sadly, she never made it home.
"They took my 20-year-old daughter. She had so much going for her. She was beautiful," Gandarilla said.
Reyes was killed in a crash involving a stolen Kia Thursday night near the intersection of Pearl Rd. and Altoona Rd. in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood. Witnesses on scene told 3News' Bri Buckley that the driver and passengers in the Kia looked like young boys and they saw a Cleveland police car pursuing the Kia before the crash.
The Cleveland Division of Police has not responded to 3News' multiple requests for comment.
"She was my baby. I haven't been able to cry, I mean I cry from time to time, but I am so mad with these Kia people. We got to stop this," Gandarilla said.
Gandarilla is talking about a group of thieves known as the "Kia Boys." She said she's using her grief to fuel action, beyond furious with the deadly trend, while demanding parents step up and take responsibility for their kids.
"I blame it on the mothers and the fathers that are not responsible for taking care of the kids," Gandarilla said.
As she prepares to lay her daughter to rest, Gandarilla said she is going to do all she can to make sure another mother doesn't have to bury their child for the same reason.
"Fourteen-, 15-, 16-, 17-year-olds are controlling us, no we cant let them control us that has to stop," Gandarilla said. "I want my daughter to be recognized. This is the end of the Kia guys because I'm going to make that happen. I don't know how, but I'm going to make it happen."
She also said Kia should be responsible as well for manufacturing a car that is easy to steal.
"They should have recalled those cars a long time ago when they started this," Gandarilla said.
