FOREST LAKE, MINNESOTA: Family and friends are remembering the 17-year-old girl who was hit and killed by a vehicle last weekend in Forest Lake, Minnesota, as a caring person who aspired to attend college and become a veterinarian. On Sunday, July 16, morning, Darisha Bailey Vath of Stacy, Minnesota died after allegedly being deliberately hit by a car. The suspected driver of that car, Dylan Robert Simmons, 20, of North Branch, Minnesota, has been charged with criminal vehicular homicide and third-degree murder.
Mourners gathered to pay their respects to the teen's memory at the scene of her death on Tuesday, barely days after her tragic death. According to her family's obituary, Vath was a "sweet, caring and loving person with a strong personality. Darisha loved everyone, she wouldn’t even hurt a fly. She loved any animals that she had contact with. If she could adopt them, she would in a heartbeat."
Who is Dylan Simmons?
Dylan Simmons of North Branch was the suspected driver of the Mazda 3 that hit and ran over Vath following a parking lot brawl at Lakeside Veteran's Memorial Park on Sunday, July 16. Simmons made his initial court appearance on Tuesday, July 18, morning after being charged with third-degree murder and vehicular homicide by Washington County prosecutors. The bail amount for Simmons was set at either $350,000 with conditions or $750,000 without. According to Vath's parents, Simmons was their daughter's ex-boyfriend, as reported by CBS News.
After a confrontation early on Sunday morning at a Forest Lake park, Washington County prosecutors allege in the criminal complaint that Simmons hit Vath with a car on purpose. Simmons allegedly continued to drive over the teen before escaping in the car with a passenger. According to the complaint, a brief cell phone video of the incident was made. According to the complaint, Simmons later came returned to the spot as police were conducting their investigation and was taken into custody. As witnesses attempted to save Bailey Vath, she died on the spot.
'The driver kept going'
Grieve-stricken father Darius Bailey said regarding Simmons' apprehension: "I don't know why people could be so cruel. She was a human being and she was run over like she was nothing. And the driver kept going. I know he came back to turn himself in because he knew that he killed a very good person. Words shouldn't get you killed."
Darius added, "Spend time with your kids because life isn't promised to us. This pain is unbearable." In an effort to see both occupants of the car caught and charged, both Darius and Darisha's mother Sarath Vath continue to fight for justice because of their shared suffering.
