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'We desperately need the public's help' | No leads in who killed 7-year-old in hit-and-run, police say

The young girl was killed along Tara Boulevard over Labor Day weekend.

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Clayton County Police are asking for the public's help in solving a deadly hit-and-run crash that killed a 7-year-old girl over Labor Day weekend.

Captain Steven Palmer with the department's specialized enforcement division said they found the young girl dead on Sept. 4. They believe the child was hit between 2:15 and 2:30 a.m. off Tara Boulevard at Southside Commercial Parkway in Jonesboro. Palmer described it as a busy area.

"At this time we have no leads," Palmer said Tuesday during a news conference. "And we desperately need the public's help to solve this crime."

Palmer said investigators are asking businesses to see if they have surveillance video that hopefully captured any clues about the deadly incident.

11Alive went back to the scene on Monday and learned the 7-year-old girl was staying with her family about 200 yards away from the intersection at the Magnolia Bay Hotel on Southside Commercial Parkway. 

Police did not confirm where the child's family lives, only that the parents have other children and they live "in close proximity" of where the crash happened. Palmer said the child's parents have other children and that they are cooperating with the investigation.

RELATED: 7-year-old girl killed in Clayton County hit-and-run, police say

When asked if anyone in the family would face charges, Palmer dodged the question adding that officers are still investigating. He clarified that at this point, the Division of Family and Children Services is not involved.

"It's a tragic situation," Palmer said Tuesday. "The total situation is very tragic."

Palmer said the department learned about the crash through a 911 call but no one was around when officers were around, making the case tougher to crack with a lack of obvious witnesses.

"No one else was there," he explained.

Police are working to learn why the child was wandering alone at that hour and believe maybe she got outside and no one knew.

"If anybody was in the area of Tara Boulevard on September the fourth between the hours of 2:15 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. if they saw anything, might've felt a bump in the car - a lot of times people don't know they might've hit something with this being a small child," Palmer said. "They might've struck her and not realize they actually struck a juvenile."

Clayton County Police will not be releasing the child's name or photo at this time.

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