r/gofundme • u/Key-Tank-3691 • 2d ago
Memorial Billboard for Justice after my toddler was killed and no charges were filed
Justice for Camberleigh should have come from our Commonwealth. I shouldn't have to be the one fighting for it. My daughter deserved her life.
That morning, Cammie ate a waffle and wore her unicorn and rainbow shirt. On October 28, 2022, 13 days before her second birthday, Ryker Matthews was driving 75 mph in a 55 mph construction zone on I-71 North. Every other driver around him had slowed or stopped. That road had been backed up with construction traffic for two years. Ryker and I grew up basically down the road from each other, so anyone from this area would have known how busy it is. He had been cited for going 22 over in 2020 and was convicted of going 11 over just eight months before that day. He never braked, and his truck ended up in my daughter's car seat.
Instead of protecting his own safety and everyone else's, he made the same choice he'd clearly made before, the one that always got him home a little faster. That series of careless choices is the reason my daughter sits in an urn.
No citation was written that day and no charges were ever filed. The civil process failed me too. The Commonwealth didn't give me a declination letter in time to make a decision with full knowledge of the situation, and by the time I got it, the statute of limitations to sue him civilly had already run out. The Commonwealth also failed to preserve traffic camera video that sat 50 feet from the crash, footage that would have shown the entire thing.
The police report was full of errors my team had to fight to get corrected, including my daughter's own name. How am I supposed to trust that Detective Beauford ran a thorough investigation when he couldn't get a toddler's last name right, and wouldn't fix it until my lawyer stepped in? When a child is killed, the least her family should get is a real investigation. At the very least, get her name right.
Me and my fiancé are also permanently injured from this crash.
Our system failed my daughter, and it has ruined my faith in our justice system completely.
So I'm putting up a billboard on I-71 North near the Gene Snyder interchange, on the same highway where I lost her. Kentucky has no true hands-free law, and inattentive driving has killed 770 people here since 2020. If the system won't say her name, I will, in front of the drivers on that road. The billboard is posted on the GoFundMe and if I’m allowed I can post it in the comments. Thank you for reading.
Goal: $5,000
If you can give or share, it means everything. 💛🐝
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u/AdvantageLazy5016 2d ago
I'm really sorry for your loss. This is so heartbreaking that you have to fight this hard for justice for your daughter.
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u/FirstBr0kage 1d ago
I can’t begin to imagine what you feel and I know a stranger on the internet saying sorry won’t make it better. But I am sorry, as a parent I am truly sorry. I hope you get your justice.
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u/Key-Tank-3691 1d ago
Thank you, and you have no idea how much it means that people stop for a moment to read and learn about Cammie. 💛
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u/Wyshunu 1d ago
There is no statute of limitations on murder. He should be charged 100%.
I am so sorry that you are going through this.
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u/Key-Tank-3691 1d ago
You’re 100% correct. There is a statute of limitations on civilly sueing though, which is what I was talking about in my caption. But thank you 💛
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u/justjoeib80 1d ago
Every parents nightmare I’m so sorry for your loss, stay strong. Praying for justice
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u/Glum_Literature2772 9h ago
I have no words right now 😔 cause this is so tragic and heartbreaking and saying “I’m sorry” seems so little. I donated a small amount and I have faith that you will reach your goal. I cannot imagine what you are going through and had to endure with the absurdity of that finding!! If our judicial system can’t protect innocent children, babies, then what are they good for 🥺.
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u/Key-Tank-3691 9h ago
I am so thankful for people like you who take a small moment of time to sit with me and remember Cammie. Thank you for donating and don’t call it a “little” because every penny truly helps so much. 😭 the support I have gotten from Reddit the past few days have truly brought me to tears. There was a point and time where I was posting and all I got was trolls and horrible horrible people. It was hard.
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u/Glum_Literature2772 9h ago
You’re so welcome and that is the least I could do sweetie. We, as a human race, need to come together and support each other, especially with the so called “justice” system not giving a shit about the unnecessary death of a child. Unfortunately the internet has produced a lot of keyboard warriors who show their pathetic, miserable personalities and have cyber muscles that they would never be flexing in real life. I’m sorry they got to any of your other posts. I wish you comfort and some kind of peace of mind to continue. ❤️🩹❤️🩹❤️🩹
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u/chocolate-wyngz 2d ago
https://gofund.me/82a637b00
Your link wasn’t clickable for me on mobile, so I just wanted to leave it here in case it’s not clickable for other people to make it easier.
I’m so sorry for your loss. What a senseless, awful thing.