Mesa family grieves teenage sister killed in motorcycle accident

MESA, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- A Mesa family is grieving the death of their teenage sister, killed in a motorcycle accident. Police said 17-year-old Darling Santos was a passenger on the back of the motorcycle when the crash happened Saturday near Country Club Drive and Southern Avenue.

“We’re all in shock,” said Monica Ramirez-Santos, Darling’s sister. “We don’t stop crying, and it’s something... unexplainable.”

Detectives said a van was making a left turn into a business when it did not yield for the motorcycle Darling was riding on. While the investigation is still ongoing, officers don’t think anyone was driving drunk. At this time, no citations have been issued.

The driver of the motorcycle and a passenger in the van were also hurt in the wreck, but police believe they will be okay. Darling’s siblings said the entire family is devastated by her death and wants more answers. “She was my mom’s little baby and my dad’s,” said Monica. “They’re all hurting really bad. They cannot take the pain.”

Darling’s siblings said she lived up to her name because she was kind and always there for her family and friends. “She was the most outgoing person out there, the most loving one,” said Darling’s sister, Karene. “She was outgoing, funny, smart. She always made people happy, and she was always there for everyone. She always made you smile even on your worst days.”

“She meant everything to me,” said Darling’s brother, Bryan. “She meant like another heart, but that heart was bigger than my actual heart.”

Bryan said Darling was the youngest of six siblings. He said she loved cars, motorcycles, and doing nails. “My relationship with my sister was only a one-of-a-kind relationship,” said Bryan. “We used to go to car meets. We used to go to motorcycle meets. She used to do oil changes with me to help me out. We used to watch anime together.”

The family said they do not feel closure, and they’re not sure they’ll get that until detectives dig deep into what happened. “We just all want to find happiness,” said Bryan. “We want to move forward, but we can’t really do that with the situation we’re in right now.”

“If you guys could, support us in that and make justice and prayers,” said Monica.

The family set up this GoFundMe page.

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