Teen killed in southeast Edmonton hit and run remembered as kind boy who loved his siblings

The mother of a 13-year-old boy who was struck by a vehicle and killed while riding his bicycle in southeast Edmonton earlier this week said her son brought joy to their entire household and there will forever be a void without him.

“Everyone is the house was kind of calm, quiet, but he was the extrovert who was always trying to get us to do things and always running around the house and always getting his sister to play and always getting everyone smiling, happy and pulling pranks on everyone,” Jessica Lynch said Friday.

“I think the house will feel very still, very empty. He is the absolute life of the house.”

Lynch said her son Adam, who goes by AJ, was riding his bike to his girlfriend’s house early Wednesday morning when the hit and run occurred.

The incident happened at around 4 a.m. along 34th Avenue between Mill Woods Road East and 48th Street.

Lynch said AJ had fallen asleep on Tuesday night and didn’t get a chance to go visit his girlfriend, Mylie Parsons, whom Lynch described as “the best thing that ever happened” to her son.

So AJ got up early Wednesday morning, hopped on his bike and headed over to visit Mylie before school.

“It was something he did almost every other day. It was not a change in routine,” Lynch said, adding her son typically took the bus, but decided to ride his bike because it was nice outside.

“He was a good kid. His other home was Mylie’s, it wasn’t like he was doing anything bad… He was just bummed about not seeing Mylie… He missed his person.”

Lynch was sleeping when she got a phone call from Mylie’s sister at around 4 a.m. Wednesday suggesting AJ had crashed his bike. AJ had been on the phone with Mylie’s sister when he was struck by the vehicle.

Lynch had AJ’s location on her phone, so she immediately got dressed and went to find her son.

“I drove to where his location was, but the police were already there,” she recalled.

“I knew that it was bad. I just didn’t think it was life-ending bad.”

Emergency crews were called, but AJ was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the vehicle that struck the teen did not stay at the scene. Police are still looking for the suspect vehicle, believed to be a blue 2014-2018 Mazda 3 sedan or hatchback. Police said the vehicle would have damage to its front end and driver side.

Lynch is urging the driver to come forward.

“They left my son to die. They could have stopped. They could have called 911. Accidents happen, but it’s no longer an accident when you continue to leave. They threw his life away. They didn’t stop to make sure he was OK.”

Lynch said she’s still in shock.

“I know I need to get through this in order to find the person and then I can fall apart. But I don’t really have that luxury — I still have three kids to make sure are OK, too.”

1:24 Boy on bicycle killed in Mill Woods hit and run: Edmonton police

AJ had three siblings – two younger and one older. Lynch said AJ loved taking his younger sister to the park. AJ was close in age to his older brother, so they grew up “like twins,” Lynch said.

“He was a really good big brother. He was a really good little brother,” she said. “He just always wanted to be involved. He did love his siblings a lot.”

AJ wanted to have a family of his own someday, Lynch said.

“He wanted to grow up and have a family and be a dad one day. That was his goal and I never questioned it — as long as he was happy.”

Lynch described her son as a boy with a lot of energy. He was active and always wanted to go out and do something.

“He liked to bike ride, he liked to skateboard, he liked to longboard, he had a scooter than he liked to do tricks on,” Lynch said.

“He always wanted to do sports. He always wanted to run around. He was always the first one up for nature walks. He was always the kid who wanted to go with you no matter where you were going.”

Mylie and her mother, who were with Lynch on Friday afternoon, said AJ was a kind boy who was nice to everyone.

“He was the best boyfriend I ever could have asked for. He treated me so well… He was perfect,” Mylie said, clutching a stuffed teddy bear she got from AJ as a birthday gift.

“He was just so sweet. He was always complimenting me. He was telling me how much he loves me.”

Mylie’s mom, Tiffany Squibb, said it’s hard to see her daughter in so much pain.

“The last thing he texted her was, ‘I miss you’ right before he left his house,” Squibb said.

“It’s not even a five-minute drive. Ten more minutes and he would have been here.”

Anyone who sees the suspect vehicle or has information about the hit and run is asked to come forward to police.

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