Closure Sought In Boy's Tractor Death

PHILADELPHIA - A Northeast Philadelphia family is covering their neighborhood with fliers, pleading for any information about the moments leading up to their 12-year-old son's tractor-trailer death.

The family isn't satisfied with the outcome of the police investigation.

Related: Boy Fatally Hit By Truck

The Talley family says they are haunted by information from strangers that their son's death may not have happened the way a police investigation revealed, reported Fox 29's Shawnette Wilson.

That is the reason they're launching their own investigation, asking the public to speak up in hopes that police will reopen the case.

A dad is on a mission to find out exactly what happened on June 29, the day a tractor-trailer struck and killed his 12-year-old son Albert.

“It's like a closed case to them, they're telling me that he tripped and fell and that's it…that's what these fliers are about. I'm trying to get all the information that I can,” says Albert Talley, the victim's father.

The family can't rest because they say people who were near the intersection of Cottman Avenue and Cottage Street in the Northeast tell a different story than what the police investigation concluded.

"They've been telling me that he was actually pushed,” says Talley.

The family says there was a block party going on when the truck hit their son. They've told investigators that witnesses claim he was playing with a group of kids.

"They were just like, we heard about that allegation but there's nothing we can do about it," says Talley.

In the midst of grief, 17-year old Naloni smiles while reminiscing about her baby brother's fascination with cooking.

"His specialty was making pancakes and smoothies,” recalls Naloni.

But in an instant, her joy turns to sorrow.

"It's just knowing that, like, he'll never be there. I'll never have nieces or nephews and it's like he wasn’t supposed to die before me because he was younger than me," cries Naloni.

Albert's mother says she's fine if it turns out what happened was in fact an accident. She just wants a thorough investigation.

"I'm okay. I just need that closure but you can't sit up there and tell me that he just darted out into the back of a truck,” believes Doreen Talley, the victim's mother.

Fox 29 is waiting to hear back from the Accident Investigation Division about whether they will investigate the allegations.

Anyone with information is urged to call the victim's parents or sister at 267-432-8036 and 215-543-9455.