Girl killed, 3 other kids hurt in I-17 rollover crash; mother arrested

Mom arrested after I-17 rollover crash kills 9-year-old girl

A 9-year-old who was sharing a seatbelt with a sibling was ejected from a vehicle during a crash over the weekend. Her mother is now facing manslaughter and child abuse charges.

PHOENIX - A woman has been arrested after a Sunday morning rollover crash on a Phoenix freeway left one of her children dead, and several of them hurt.

The backstory:

The single-car crash happened at 7:30 a.m. on April 12 along northbound Interstate 17 at Peoria Avenue. Four people were taken to a hospital, including a 1-year-old girl, a 3-year-old boy and an 11-year-old boy. 

The driver, 30-year-old Brenda Liliana Rivera Estrada of Phoenix, was also hurt and hospitalized. 

Brenda Liliana Rivera Estrada (ADOT; MCSO)

Rivera's 9-year-old daughter died at the scene. DPS says she was sharing a seat belt with a sibling when she was ejected from the car. The other children were treated at a hospital and released. Authorities said the suspect was passing vehicles and driving recklessly.  

During the investigation, troopers detected an odor of marijuana coming from the car. In the court hearing, officials said Rivera admitted she smoked marijuana on April 11 at 6 a.m. 

"The state has extreme concerns for the other children that are still alive," a prosecutor said. "The suspect chose to get in a vehicle where she was allegedly under the influence of marijuana… Multiple witnesses stated that she was driving above the posted speed limit, which was 65."

The crash shut down northbound I-17 for several hours.

Dig deeper:

On Monday, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said Estrada had been released from the hospital and booked into jail.

She's accused of manslaughter and child abuse. Estrada is being held on a $100,000 bond.

What we don't know:

The 9-year-old girl wasn't identified, and it's unknown what caused the crash.

Map of area where the crash happened: