JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville mother is pleading for answers in her child's death.
Andrea Willis contacted the Ask Anthony team for help after her 18-year-old daughter, Kayla Willis, died in a tragic car accident more than one month ago.
"Kayla was perfect," Andrea Willis said.
A perfect daughter, whose life suddenly came to an end after her car crashed into a retention pond on September 9th. According to the report from Florida Highway Patrol, Kayla was driving south on the Interstate 295 service ramp to Collins Road. As she was nearing the right curve of the exit ramp, she continued straight into the median where she collided with a tree. Kayla's car then continued into an embankment where it overturned into the retention pond.
"I saw a bunch of police cars with lights on the Collins ramp. But, I didn't see her car. So, I thought maybe it was construction...not thinking it was the absolute worst," Willis said.
That night, Andrea, had been wondering why her daughter wasn't home yet. She had given her a little more freedom since she turned 18. Andrea says Kayla was coming from her boyfriend's house. It was a drive she made often. That's why she was hoping the police lights she saw didn't involve her daughter.
"Until her boyfriend's mom called and I heard screaming. She was saying Andrea she's here. You got to get back here. She's where the police are. I'm pretty sure she's in the water," Willis explained.
When Andrea drove to the scene, she says she began to ask law enforcement officers questions about what happened.
"I would ask have you identified the person. What kind of car is it? Is the person alive? What is going on? They met me with silence. They just stared at each other every question I asked."
Andrea contacted me because she felt the officers on scene lacked sensitivity to the situation.
"He said, 'I had to get out of my bed at 3 a.m.' Initially, I thought he was saying that in a way, 'I care, I got up at 3 o'clock and I care to be here.' But, he kept repeating that to every new family member who came. It became a sound of, 'I'm doing you a favor.'"
It's been more than a month since Kayla's death and she's still searching for answers. According to Florida Highway Patrol, there are no cameras in the area to show what happened that night.
Andrea is still waiting on a copy of the 911 calls.
"We just had so many questions," she said. "Why was there trunk damage? Did it look like she had been swiped off the road? The initial police report said the airbags didn't deploy, but in the video we have the airbags did deploy."
As she grieves the loss of her child, she seeks some type of closure in a tragedy no parent should ever have to experience.
"I don't even know what to ask for or how to ask for help. I just know there's got to be something out there. As a mother, you just want answers. I want to know what happened to my child."
The Ask Anthony team has been able to get Andrea some answers. We requested her daughter's autopsy report. We were able to give her that report on Monday. We also contacted Florida Highway Patrol on Andrea's behalf. We received a response, that says in part:
"From the evening of the crash, the family, including the mother, has been kept in the loop of the case and its progress. We do not contact families every day but we do keep them informed on progression and new findings. The initial case was discussed with the family and the following day regarding what to expect and the investigative timeline."
"The lead investigator has work diligently and continuously on her daughter’s case since it was assigned to him. In fact, he has completed what he needs to and has turned it in for supervisory review and approval. The family will be contacted again soon with the decision and latest information on the case after the review process."