CAIRO, Ga. (WTXL) — Heavy hearts in Cairo after a family is left to bury their 6-year-old.
Police say Jayden Richardson was hit by a car, walking home from the bus stop Monday morning.
Cairo Police say it happened near Martin Luther King Junior Avenue and Legion Boulevard Southwest around 7:30 a.m. ABC 27 talked to his family.
Jayden Richardson was by the American Legion building when he missed his bus. Police say when he turned around to head back, he was hit by a car.
"I'm still in disbelief because it's hard to deal with... especially when you lose a loved one, you know," said Natalie Richardson.
Natalie Richardson says her 6-year-old grandson Jayden Richardson was a lot of things.
"A grown up in a small body, you know," Richardson explained.
An alarm clock.
"I could always count on him to come in... 'Granny, you've got to go to work. It's time to go to work,'" she said.
A worrier.
"Boy, if I would leave he would ask me, 'Granny what's taking you so long? You've been gone a long time.' He would worry and stay up if I was going to work," Richardson said. "He would ask me, 'Granny, are you going to work? Aww, man I wish you didn't have to go to work.'"
And now, a gaping hole in her heart after a driver hit him while he was walking back home after missing the school bus Monday morning.
"It's going to be a big loss. Definitely that," Richardson said. "I'm going to miss my grandbaby."
"We consider all of our students family here in Grady County, and we're very sad that we've lost a member of our family," said Kermit Gilliard, the superintendent of Grady County Schools.
Grady County School Superintendent Kermit Gilliard says the school will provide counselors for teachers and students to help them deal with the loss of someone so special.
"He has so many loved ones and friends that are going to miss him," said Richardson.
So far, police have not said if anyone will be charged in his death.
The Cairo Police Department confirms that a 6-year-old boy has died after being hit by a car Monday morning.
Police say they were called to Martin Luther King Blvd SW and Legion Blvd SW around 7:30 a.m. on Monday for a pedestrian involved crash.
When they arrived, they discovered that a 6-year-old boy, identified by family members as Jayden Richardson, was hit and killed by a car while crossing the road.
While police are still investigating what led up to the crash, they believe Jayden was heading back home after missing his school bus.
At this time, officials have not confirmed whether the child was walking alone at the time of the crash.
The Grady County School District confirmed the Jayden went to Eastside Elementary School but did not comment any further on the incident.
An investigation into the crash is ongoing. Cairo Police expects to release additional information later Monday.
This is a developing story. Stay with us for details.
