The devastated family of a teenage girl who died in a terrifying accident say they were forced to bury her in secret because trolls threatened to crash her funeral.
Heidi Riding, 18, was riding in the passenger seat of a stolen silver Holden Commodore in the early morning of July 14 when it veered off the road and crashed into trees in the Toowoomba suburb of Newtown Toowoomba, south of queensland.
She died on impact. The alleged driver, Kyaharlem Hazard, 19, is in police custody charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Heidi Riding (pictured), 18, was riding in the passenger seat of a stolen silver Holden Commodore in the early morning of July 14 when it veered off the road and crashed into trees in the Toowoomba suburb of Newtown Toowoomba , in southern Queensland. Her family claims they were forced to hold her funeral in secret after receiving threats from vicious trolls.
But Ms Riding’s family said they were forced to keep the date and location of her funeral a secret after receiving hundreds of vile messages, including threats.
One post called Heidi a “little degenerate piece of trash who did nothing for society but destroy other people’s property and waste taxpayer money.”
They added: “The world is a better place without her.”
An example of the vile abuse the family has received after Heidi’s death
Her father, Shane Riding, acknowledged that she wasn’t perfect, but pleaded with the trolls to stop.
“We want to apologize to anyone affected by Heidi’s actions, she wasn’t perfect but we love her to death,” Mr Riding told the outlet. Toowoomba Chronicle.
It is the third child that the heartbroken father has had to bury.
Heidi was laid to rest on Monday, July 31, just feet from her baby brother who died at birth, and her 28-year-old brother who died of a medical condition.
“I go to bed crying and wake up crying,” Mr Riding said.
‘The trolls got what they wanted, they just have to look at her grave: she’s dead on the ground. We just want her to stop.
Heidi’s twin sister, Tamika, told their father that she lost half her soul when Heidi was killed and vowed never to celebrate her birthday again.
“Heidi was unique, she was someone no matter what happened in her life, she always helped you over and over again and that’s where a lot of her problems came from,” Tamika wrote.
Tamika claimed that the justice system ‘failed’ her twin and that a GoFundMe set up to fight for justice has raised nearly $2,000 so far.
The alleged driver of the stolen silver Holden Commodore (pictured), 19-year-old Kyaharlem Hazard, is in police custody charged with manslaughter.
A burning engine (pictured) had been propelled 20m across the road in the accident that killed Mrs Riding
But the alleged owner of the stolen Commodore in which Heidi died set up a rival GoFundMe, who claimed that all of his worldly possessions had been lost.
“As much as the poor thing that lost her life didn’t deserve that, my life too has been turned upside down and ruined by criminals who decided they needed to take my car for a ride,” the fund organizer wrote.
So far it has raised nearly $2,000. Daily Mail Australia has not been able to establish the accuracy of the claims made by the organizer.
Mrs Riding’s short life was affected by the tragedy.
In addition to the deaths of her two brothers, she lost the “love of her life” in an eerily similar accident eight months ago.
Her partner, Jemmah Lorrain Cole-Crighton, 24, was killed when an allegedly stolen car she was traveling in crashed into a tree.
The fiery accident occurred on the Warrego Highway near Helidon in the Lockyer Valley region, just 20km from Toowoomba, on January 13.
Ms. Cole-Crighton suffered burns to 95 percent of her body after the 2009 Toyota Camry she was riding in collided with a tree and burst into flames.
Ms Riding had lost her partner Jemmah Lorrain Cole-Crighton (pictured), 24, in eerily similar circumstances when an allegedly stolen car she was traveling in crashed into a tree.
She was flown to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, but died a short time later.
Heidi’s father said her family was acutely aware of the crime plaguing the area and called for more to be done to help get children off the streets.
“Too many children are dying,” he said.
‘We need to find a way to reach the hearts of these troubled children before it’s too late.
‘I would tell these kids to stop, the game is over.
Heidi wouldn’t want them out stealing cars and she wouldn’t want anyone else to die.
