ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - A mother raises awareness about children in hot cars after her two-year-old daughter was killed last year.
Investigators say River Jackson was accidentally left in a van by her father.
Recommended Videos
"I miss her and all I wanna do is hold her and touch her and see her and hear her voice," says Raychele Jackson, River's mother.
On August 31, 2014, River was found in the family van in the driveway. It was one of the hottest days of the month with temperatures reaching into the 90's.
"I'm running to my neighbors houses asking if they've seen her, then my nephew comes out and tells me she's in the van," says Jackson. "Then I opened the van and for a minute there I was relieved she was found and then my whole world just shattered. She was hot and she was stiff. I already knew she was gone."
As a way to grieve, Jackson wants to raise awareness of the dangers of children and hot cars in memory of River.
Through River's Mission she wants people to know this tragedy could happen to anyone.
"You get busy and distracted and a single slip in your normal routine can change everything," says Jackson. "The worst thing is to think it could never happen to you because it can. It's a fact."
Jackson says she thinks about River everyday and is hoping through her story no one will experience the pain she feels everyday.
Jackson says the organization Kids and Cars has helped her a lot. Hear more about the organization and River's Mission on Monday.