Little Village Community Council member killed in hit-and-run crash coming home from grocery store

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Family members and community leaders are mourning the loss of a Little Village woman who died after a hit-and-run crash.

The godmother of 47-year-old Belesda Toledo said the family is devastated by her death.

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Chicago police said Toledo was walking in a crosswalk near Hamlin Avenue and 25th Street when she was struck by a white truck around 11:40 a.m. Wednesday. She was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition and later died.

Police officers returned to the scene Thursday morning and continued canvassing the area as part of the investigation.

According to community leaders, Toledo had been returning home from a grocery trip at the time of the crash.

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"She was coming from the grocery store. She was going to do supper for them prepare the meal, and she wasn't able to prepare meals for her kids and her husband," said Baltazar Enriquez, the president of the Little Village Community Council.

Friends and community members said Toledo, originally from Guerrero, Mexico, had become a familiar presence in Little Village after making Chicago her second home.

She volunteered with the Helen and Joe Community Organization, a local nonprofit, and was a member of the Little Village Community Council.

Throughout the day, people visited the crash site to leave flowers and balloons in her memory.

"She was a very kind soul. A very bright person who was always smiling, who kind of had this contagious energy about her," family friend Ella Bueno said. "Like she would smile and you would always see her with her kids. I know she loved being a mom."

Community leaders said some residents have been reluctant to cooperate with the investigation because of ongoing fears related to immigration enforcement. They hope Toledo's story will encourage anyone who witnessed the crash or has information about the driver to come forward.

The investigation remains ongoing.