Grandmother Gilma Ordonez-Guevara charged in hit-and-run death of her 2-year-old granddaughter

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Gwinnett County Police say they have arrested the grandmother of a girl who was struck and killed in front of her home Tuesday afteoon.

According to the arrest warrant, Gilma J. Ordonez-Guevara, 44, struck and killed 2-year-old Valeria Leiba with her SUV while backing out of the driveway at the Memory Lane home. After the incident, investigators said Ordonez-Guevara carried the toddler back into the home and then left the scene and went to her home located in the same subdivision, police said. She later walked back to the scene.

The toddler was rushed to Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, where she died from her injuries.

Police say Ordonez-Guevara initially denied being involved in the crash but later confessed after investigators found conflicting evidence inside her vehicle. She told investigators that she did not know the child was behind the SUV.

Ordonez-Guevara has been charged with vehicular homicide, hit and run, obstruction of a law enforcement officer and driving without a license. She was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail on Tuesday, March 21 shortly before 8 pm.

”There are not enough words to help bring solace to the victim’s family during such a tragic loss.  We want the family to know that many people in Gwinnett and the surrounding communities are thinking of them during this difficult time, the Gwinnett County Police Department said.

Valeria Leiba

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