Family remembers 76-year-old Fresno woman hit and killed by car

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Gracia Family's central Fresno home was full of family gathered in prayer Friday night. But they say the person missing made it feel empty.

"Walking into the house while she was here, you felt the love," said her grandson, Oscar Garcia. "But now it's just, you don't feel anything."

Family members say 76-year-old Abelina Ortiz De Garcia was walking her dog near Fresno High Wednesday morning like she did every day.

"Down McKinley and then back," said Oscar. "And they would be back by 8 am."

Her family knew something was wrong when Abelina's dog returned to the house without her that morning. Police say while crossing the street, she was hit and killed by a driver on McKinley near Harrison Ave around 7:45 am.

The driver told police they didn't see Abelina, and she was dragged by the vehicle. Officers say the driver was cooperative but they don't suspect alcohol or drugs as factors in the crash.

"Think about what you could do in a matter of seconds of just being distracted. Because yeah, a lot of people may say she wasn't on a crosswalk," said her grandaughter, Jacqueline Garcia. "It's not like my grandma didn't do this often. She did this every day. So she was well aware of her surroundings."

Abelina was a mother of eight, had more than 30 grandkids and great-grandkids too. They say she was active, healthy and striving to live a long life past 100 -- like her mother before her.

Fresno Police says overall, deadly crashes involving pedestrians are down. So far, Fresno has seen 17 this year. This time last year, there were 24.