A mother wants to know why first responders didn't find her daughter for nearly 24 hours after a fatal crash in Paso Robles over the weekend.
Early information suggested that there was only one person in the car, 26-year old Najee Mims of Hanford -- who was hopitalized with major injuries -- but LaSonya Muldrow, mother of 25-year-old Brittany Muldrow of Tulare, said she notified authorities that her daughter was still out there after she didn't hear from her.
The crash happened on April 25 at around 7:20 p.m., when a black Volvo 850 sedan traveling at a high rate of speed westbound on Highway 46 west of Gruenhagen Flats Road went off the side of the road for an unknown reason, according to the California Highway Patrol.
LaSonya said when she contacted the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office, she was told only Mims was involved in the crash. However, when authorities went back to the crash site on April 26, they discovered Brittany's body in a ditch at around 5:15 p.m.
"I just want to know, was she alive? Did they really search? How far was she from the car? There's a lot of things I need to know," said LaSonya Muldrow, Brittany's mother.
In a press release sent to KSBY Monday afternoon, CHP officials said, "Due to the uneven terrain, thick brush, tall grass, limited lighting conditions, and the female subject being in an inconspicuous location, she was not located during the initial response and search of the crash scene."
According to CHP, CAL FIRE SLO used a Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) camera to locate possible heat sources emitted by other occupants during the initial search, but none were found in the vicinity of the crash site.
There was no other physical evidence to suggest there was more than one occupant of the vehicle, officials said.
LaSonya wonders if her daughter died in the crash or because first responders didn't find her in time.
"I'm not saying the police officers, the search party didn't do their job, I just need answers," LaSonya said.
She said deputies showed up at her house in Hanford Sunday evening to tell her her daughter had died.
"She was very kindhearted, she was a happy person, always happy, but she did have skeletons in their closet, who doesn't have skeletons in their closet," LaSonya said.
She hopes she gets closure once a cause of death is determined in an autopsy.
"[Brittany] leaves behind three daughters. When they grow up and ask me about their mother, I need to get closure so I know what to tell them," LaSonya said.
The Muldrow family has created a GoFundMe for her family, click here to find it.
CHP said officers are still investigating the crash. The CHP Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) will be reevaluating the crash site on Tuesday.
