"I knew her well enough to think she wouldn't do something like that," Mikayla told the Milwaukee Journal.
She sped off and moments later, crashed head-on into a green Dodge Caravan near 30th and Hope Street. Both vehicles burst into flames and the occupants of the Caravan fled.
"That day me and my cousin stopped by the house. (The suspected driver) was in the back seat, she (is) a family friend," Mikayla told the Milwaukee Journal. "Me and my cousin went inside to drop my cousin's cat off. ... She took it upon herself to hop in the driver's seat and pull off with my child in the car. I called her and said I don't care about the car, I just want my baby back."
First responders found Zarion in his car seat, face-down on the back floorboard, crying. He was rushed to Children's Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 1:10 am. It was the same day that he turned 13 months old.
"I want to see justice, I do. I want to see justice," Zarion's father, Eddie Anthony, told the Milwaukee Journal. "He didn't deserve it, he had a lot of life ahead of him. Like I said, gone but never forgotten, but it's a lot of heartache that we will never get over. Everybody's going to think about it every day, every minute, every second, so it's tough, it's hard."
Antwineesha Burse was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and arrested. She is charged with knowingly operating a motor vehicle without a valid driver's license, causing death. She could be fined $10,000 and sentenced to up to 6 years.
On Tuesday, January 31, 2023, the family and friends of Zarion held a vigil near the scene of the fiery accident.
"He just had the most amazing heart. He was an innocent child. ... He came in the room and everybody would smile," Mikayla told the Milwaukee Journal.
"He was always playful," Eddie told the Milwaukee Journal. "He always had a smile, always laughing just doing normal stuff, just growing up everyday, so for this to happen is just tragic."
Authorities are seeking the suspects who fled the scene. If you have any information, please contact the Milwaukee Police Department at 414-935-7360 or Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS.
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