2 Women Recall Encounter With Derby Boys Before Fatal Crash

DERBY, CT — Just days before five children from Derby were killed in a car crash involving six siblings, a group of community members spotted three of the victims and the sole survivor of the crash, two of the women told Patch in interviews this week.

The children, identified as Malik Smith, 16, Anthony Billips Jr., 17, Zahnyiah Cross, 12, Shawnell Cross, 11, and Andrew Billips, 8, were killed in an overnight car crash on the Hutchinson River Parkway in New York on March 19 after what police believe might have been a panhandling trip to a New Jersey mall, authorities previously told WTNH.

The 9-year-old sole survivor of the crash crawled out of the back window that had shattered in the crash after the car struck a boulder and a tree and then burst into flames, officials said. Smith, who was driving the rental car, did not have a license or a learner's permit, according to authorities.

One of the women, who declined to be identified by name, told Patch said she was with a group of friends at Marketplace Kitchen and Bar in the early afternoon of March 12 when two boys, who she would later learn became the youngest crash victim and the sole survivor, walked in and started collecting money from patrons around the bar.

The boys told the group of women they were raising money for their basketball team, but alarm bells went off when one of the group members looked up the name of the school basketball team only to find that it did not exist, the woman told Patch.

"And I was like, 'Where are your parents?'" The woman recalled. "So two of my friends and I walked them out [to their car], and he's like, 'Oh, actually it's my brothers.'"

The woman said she found two of the older brothers sitting in the front seats of the car. Police were called to the scene as one of the women spoke with one of the older boys, telling them that they shouldn't let the younger boys go into bars by themselves and solicit in a private establishment.

"She's like, you guys are older, you know better," the woman recalled of her friend's words to the boys. But recognizing that the boys needed help, the woman told them that they did not want their money back and just wanted to help.

"And the one boy, the one older boy, started crying. The two boys in the back were crying," she recalled. "They had their heads down."

By the time police arrived, the boys were already gone, the woman said. Shelton Police confirmed to Patch that they had responded to a call about two individuals asking for money on that day at Marketplace Kitchen and Bar, but that the individuals had left prior to officers' arrival and no official report was filed.

Another woman, who also declined to be identified by name, was part of the group and corroborated the details of the encounter to Patch.

"My friend put her hand on one of their hands and asked if they were okay, at which point the driver had his head down and shook no. It appeared he had tears in his eyes," the second woman said. "At that point, we really tried to be positive and tell them to stay strong, stick together, do good in school and sports, and leave off on a positive note."

Investigators confirmed that the children were not enrolled in school at the time of the crash.

A GoFundMe page titled "Our 5 children," organized after the deadly crash by Derby resident Da’Shawna Cross, has raised more than $67,000 to date.

Cross wrote that she created the fundraiser “to help bury our children we lost" and "give them a great homegoing service," adding that the parents "just want to put our babies to rest.”

Milford police confirmed that they had prior contact with the family of five children and had been in touch with the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, according to a police report obtained by News 12.

The report was filed Aug. 16, 2022 after police were called to Wren Kitchens about a group of children asking for food and money for their basketball team, according to the outlet.

Police said they contacted the father who said that he'd dropped them off there and that they were planning to take the bus home, News 12 reported.

Authorities brought the children to the police department until their mother arrived, according to the report. Police also contacted the Milford Department of Children and Families, which spoke with the children and their mother and told her that they would be following up, News 12 reported.

Connecticut State Department of Children and Families Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes confirmed to Patch that they interviewed the children in February after a request from New York Protective Services regarding an alleged incident there, but that they didn't learn anything which warranted further Connecticut DCF involvement. The department added that they could not comment further due to an impending investigation but are "currently reviewing our interactions with the involved families."

Lieutenant Sal Frosceno confirmed to Patch that the Department of Children and Families reached out to the Derby Police Department, but there was no open criminal investigation as of April 29.

Patch reached out to the Milford Police Department for more information.