The family of Caroline Davenport Rios, a 39-year-old mother from Perris, California, is seeking answers and justice after she was discovered deceased in a ditch off Highway 74 near Hemet in Riverside County on August 12.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is investigating the incident as a potential hit-and-run. However, Rios' family harbors doubts about this explanation, pointing to several concerning details.
Her sister, Jennifer Davenport Rios, expressed skepticism, stating that Caroline would not have been walking along the highway, especially not four miles from her home. "She wouldn’t. I mean, that’s it. She just wouldn’t be," Jennifer told ABC 7.
According to the family, CHP indicated that Caroline's body may have been in the ditch for three to four days before discovery. Jennifer recalled texting her sister five days prior to the recovery, and her iPhone showed the message had been read, suggesting she was alive and reachable at that time. The last contact was late at night.
Questions have also been raised about the location where the body was found. Caroline's nephew, Jorge Ruiz, noted the area's isolation, stating, "There’s just a field, like what a coincidence that it’s in this spot where there’s not much cameras." A friend of Caroline's also posted on Facebook, expressing disbelief that she would ignore calls or texts, and questioning what led to her being in that location and why she was left there if it was an accident.
Caroline Davenport Rios, who was unmarried, had two children. Her family has initiated a GoFundMe campaign to cover burial expenses, stating, "Our family is heartbroken by the tragic and senseless loss of our beloved Caroline Melissa Davenport Rios. While we continue to seek justice for Caroline and ask for help in finding the individual responsible, we are also facing the overwhelming and unexpected costs of laying her to rest."
The family has urged the perpetrator, if this was indeed a hit-and-run, to come forward. "It’s inhumane to not, to hit somebody and keep going. You don’t hit a 170-pound person and not realize that you hit them. They knew what they did," Ruiz stated.
Jennifer Davenport Rios emphasized the importance of any new details, appealing on Facebook for information such as a vehicle with unexplained damage, an unusual repair, a driver who changed their story, or anyone who was on Highway 74 around the time of the incident. "Someone knows something," she wrote. "A vehicle with unexplained damage. A repair that looked unusual. A driver who suddenly changed their story. Someone who was on Highway 74 around that time. Even a small detail could matter." She concluded, "Caroline deserved to come home. Her family deserves answers. She deserves justice."