Kids drop off stuffed animals after FHP confirms mother drove over 4-year-old daughter, killing her

BRADENTON - Officials with the Florida Highway Patrol say a woman drove over her 4-year old daughter Thursday afternoon, killing the little girl.

Shortly after noon, Gracie Moreno, 23, of Bradenton, was driving a 1992 Lexus ES3000 when she struck her daughter, Daisy Martinez in a driveway in the area of 34th Ave E and 27th St E.

Within hours, kids showed up at the house and dropped off their stuffed animals, creating a roadside memorial.

"I told them on the way home from school," said Anita Casimir. "The oldest, she cried a little bit and wanted to know why."

Anita's husband, Sam, attempted CPR until paramedics arrived. He says the little girl took her last breath with his hand on her chest.

"My hand was on her. She opened her eye," Same recounted. "After that, she just, all the way out. It was very sad. Very tender. Made me cry."

The child was taken to Blake Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

"I really thought she was going to live longer to experience more things in her life," said 12-year-old Jamara Lowe. "She was kind and she was really nice to everyone she met."

FHP is still investigating the cause of the accident, and whether Moreno's car suffered some kind of mechanical failure.