LONG BEACH -- When little Kaylee Alvarez was born on July 22, 2008, her parents, Alex and Yesenia Alvarez, felt like their family unit of four was complete.
"I was happy I had my son, but I always wanted a little girl," said Alex Alvarez, 23. "When she was born I just grabbed her. I was so happy I finally had my girl."
On Friday night, the Alvarez family was ripped apart when a hit-and-run driver in a Dodge Durango plowed into a wagon with 1-year-old Kaylee and her 2-year-old brother Oscar inside. Alvarez said he and his wife were on a walk near their home and had been pulling the children in a wagon through the crosswalk at Redondo Avenue and 10 th Street.
"They guy hit us and he didn't even stop," Alvarez said. "I was going crazy looking for my kids."
The driver kept heading north on Redondo with the wagon and children still wedged in the wheel well as horrified witnesses begged and shouted for him to stop.
After about a block, the SUV stopped briefly and the boy fell out and was quickly snatched up by a witness.
Kaylee Alvarez was dragged about another mile until the driver stopped at his residence near the corner of Wilton Street and Redondo, neighbors said.
"He dragged my little girl. I wanted to run, but I was in shock," Alvarez said.
A neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said the driver pulled into the driveway of his residence, said, "I think I hit a baby," and ran in the front door.
Neighbors saida police officer shined a flashlight underneath the SUV and discovered the tiny body with pieces of the red plastic wagon. The baby was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sitting outside of Long Beach Memorial Medical Center on Sunday, Alex Alvarez said he is working to stay strong for his wife and son, who is still hospitalized.
The toddler suffered cuts on his head and second-degree burns on his back from being dragged on the street, but he is expected to make a full recovery, his father said.
"It's a miracle I still have my boy," Alvarez said. "He's doing great. He's hungry and asking for food."
Alvarez said the boy, who turns three at the end of this month, is also asking for his little sister.
The alleged driver, Neely Lejon Dinkins, 33, of Long Beach, was arrested that night and faces charges of vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence, hit-and-run and driving with a suspended license, Long Beach Police Officer Jackie Bezart said.
Neighbors said Dinkins is a father of four.
"I know he's a father and I feel bad for his family," Alvarez said of Dinkins. "But I don't understand why he didn't stop. It's like he didn't have a heart."
Alvarez said he and his wife Yesenia, 22, are both Long Beach natives who met at Wilson High School, where Alvarez played football.
The young parents have been married for about four years and had been living a quiet, happy life, he said. Alvarez works at the Talley Communications warehouse in Santa Fe Springs and his wife is a stay-at-home mom.
Their daughter, a happy baby who rarely cried and was never sick, had just taken her first steps that day, he added.
Though they're struggling with grief, the family said they have been truly touched by the outpouring of kindness from the community. On Sunday, people continued to place toys, flowers and candles at a shrine on the corner of Redondo and 10th.
"We just want to say thank you," said Alvarez's sister, Mayra Alvarez.
For now, Alvarez says he's trying not to break down, because he knows his daughter wouldn't want to see him sad.
"We feel blessed we had her for a year," he said. "I don't think of her as a baby, I think of her as a little angel. She's my little angel."
You can help
The Alvarez family has set up an account at the Wescom Credit Union for those who wish to donate for Kaylee's funeral expenses. The account number is 708248.
Funeral services are tentatively set for Saturday but plans have not yet been finalized.
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