A driver accused of murdering a young mother in an alleged hit-and-run outside a daycare centre was dating the dead woman’s ex-boyfriend.
Larissa Rita Mae-Leigh Sant, 24, is alleged to have deliberately driven her Toyota Landcruiser Prado into Kiesha Thompson, 23, as she was walking home on Friday.
Ms Thompson was on the footpath after dropping off her daughter at daycare in Daisy Hill, south of Brisbane, when she was allegedly run down.
Ms Thompson died in hospital that night and police later charged Sant with her murder.
Sant is the new girlfriend of Ms Thompson’s ex-partner, The Courier-Mail reported.
Detective Inspector Chris Knight said the relationship between Ms Thompson and her alleged killer would be ‘pivotal’ to the police investigation.
Daily Mail earlier revealed that Sant has three young sons and worked at a Brisbane petting zoo.
Her social media accounts are filled with selfies and posts about her tumultuous love life, desires for relationships and videos of herself dancing.
‘Stuck between wanting my happy ever after and never wanting to loose [sic] what I have,’ one post reads.
‘How am I supposed to choose when the time comes.’
The revelations came as Ms Thompson’s shattered family released a video statement.
Her brother, Koby Torto said his niece was the ‘light of (Kiesha’s) life’ and the family would rally around the young girl following the death of her mother.
‘My sister Kiesha had nothing short of a difficult life but in the past couple years, she worked tirelessly to create the best life for not only her but her child, who is the absolute light of her life,’ Mr Torto said.
‘Her life up to the end was exactly what she wanted but as all good things come, so do bad and she was taken from us.
‘I cannot stress enough that her daughter was the absolute light of her life and we’re here to support her throughout her whole life.’
Ms Thompson’s aunt, Amanda Matthias, urged anyone with information about the incident to contact police.
‘My niece Kiesha was tragically taken away from us in a horrific and senseless act,’ she alleged.
‘We are deeply grateful for those who worked tirelessly to save her.
‘We plead to anyone who might have information to help us better solve this case, if anyone else is involved please come forward to police.’
Meanwhile, the family plan to set up a GoFundMe to help cover any expenses for Ms Thompson’s daughter.
Police at the scene of a fatal hit and run in Daisy Hill
Keyara Thompson said there were no words for ‘the pain of losing’ her sister.
‘We’re struggling with the enormity of her absence in our life and I’m just trying to understand,’ Ms Thompson said.
‘As we are working to rebuild our live and focus on caring for her daughter, we need support.
‘In honour of Kiesha, we are starting a GoFundMe page to ensure that her daughter has the best life possible that we can provide her without her mother.
‘Any contributions no matter how big or small will make an enormous change to her daughter’s life.’
Police will allege the incident was premeditated and Sant was driving the silver 4WD SUV in the area for an extended period of time before the Daisy Hill crash.
‘We will allege that that event was not in fact an accident, and the young lady who has tragically lost her life, was in fact targeted,’ Det Insp Knight told reporters on Sunday.
‘For that reason we don’t believe that it was an unfortunate, random traffic accident.
‘The young lady who lost her life was a mother, she had dropped her daughter off at daycare.
‘It is a gross understatement to say anything other than that family is deeply traumatised.’
Sant was remanded in custody after her matter was mentioned in Ipswich Magistrates Court on Monday.
Her solicitor, Thomas Allen, told the court the matter needed to be adjourned to Beenleigh Magistrates Court.
Sant was not able to apply for bail due to the serious nature of the charge and will will reappear in court via video link on July 31.
Outside court, Mr Allen told media he had ‘no comment’ about the matter.
Police said they seized a damaged silver Toyota Prado at Goodna, west of Brisbane on Saturday while the 24-year-old was arrested a few suburbs away at Yamanto.
Police described the incident as far from typical but declined to comment on any relationship between the pair.
Asked if it was a case of domestic violence, Det Insp Knight said: ‘It is not as simple as that.’
Police are appealing for dashcam footage and asked the driver, owner or passengers on a white, unbranded bus seen in the vicinity shortly before 9am on Friday to come forward.
Police are calling for the driver and passengers to come forward following an unrelated fatal crash