CINCINNATI -- Over a year after her death, the ashes of a 3-year-old hit and killed in a crosswalk have yet to be buried.
Councilman Chris Smitherman met with the family of Khloe Pitts to offer support for their daughter's burial expenses. Joy White, Pitts' mother, said the family had not been ready to part with her ashes.
Donteiz Romond Dickey is accused of hitting Pitts and White in a crosswalk on Vine Street as they were leaving the Cincinnati Zoo’s Festival of Lights in November 2016. Pitts died in a hospital months later.
Smitherman wants to raise $5,000 to help the family honor the little girl, whose mother described her as “amazing” and “a ball of energy” at a commemoration ceremony last year.
“It was an unfortunate accident,” Smitherman said. “All of us, many of us, have children can't imagine coming from the zoo and being hit by a car, so … I want to make sure that I acknowledge the parents and their loss.”
Now, near the zoo's entrance sits a bench, memorializing the 3-year-old's life. And pretty soon, there will be another fixture headed to the site of the crash, designating the crosswalk where Khloe took her last steps as "Khloe's Krossing."
Smitherman is asking the community for support in helping Pitts’ family. If you’d like to donate, you can write a check to Spring Grove Cemetery and drop it off at Smitherman’s office.
