The tragic death of a Southern California mom has left her family searching for clarity amid mysterious circumstances.
Caroline Davenport Rios, a 39-year-old resident of Perris, was discovered in a ditch beside Highway 74 close to Hemet, nestled in Riverside County, on August 12.
Her demise is currently under investigation by the California Highway Patrol, which is treating it as a possible hit-and-run incident; however, her family harbors doubts about this theory.
Expressing her skepticism, the victim’s sister noted that Caroline wouldn’t ordinarily be found walking near the highway, particularly since her body was located four miles from her residence.
“She wouldn’t. I mean, that’s it. She just wouldn’t be,” Jennifer Davenport Rios conveyed to ABC 7, firmly dismissing the idea that Caroline would be on that road.
The family said CHP told them her body could have been there for three or four days. Jennifer said she sent a text to her sister five days before the body was recovered, and her iPhone indicated that the message had been read.
Jennifer said she had texted her sister late at night when they last had contact.
Jorge Ruiz, the victim’s nephew, told ABC 7 had questions about the location where the body was found.
“There’s just a field, like what a coincidence that it’s in this spot where there’s not much cameras,” Ruiz said.
A person who appeared to be a friend of Caroline wrote on Facebook that it seemed strange that she would ignore calls or texts.
“She didn’t just ignore calls or text messages,” the person wrote. “She didn’t ‘read’ a text and let the phone die. Perhaps it was all just an accident to hit her. BUT WHAT LED to her being left? Why was she walking? Perhaps we will never know, but if you know ANYTHING, please share with us so we can have comfort in knowing.”
Carolin, who was unmarried, had two children, according to friends and family.
The family has started a GoFundMe for her burial expenses.
“Our family is heartbroken by the tragic and senseless loss of our beloved Caroline Melissa Davenport Rios. While we continue to seek justice for Caroline and ask for help in finding the individual responsible, we are also facing the overwhelming and unexpected costs of laying her to rest,” they wrote.
If her death was caused by a hit-and-run, her family is urging the perpetrator to confess.
“It’s inhumane to not, to hit somebody and keep going. You don’t hit a 170-pound person and not realize that you hit them. They knew what they did,” Ruiz said.
Jennifer said any new details in the case would be significant.
“Someone knows something,” she wrote on Facebook. “A vehicle with unexplained damage. A repair that looked unusual. A driver who suddenly changed their story. Someone who was on Highway 74 around that time. Even a small detail could matter.”
“Caroline deserved to come home. Her family deserves answers. She deserves justice,” she added.