LYNNWOOD, Wash. — Fall was Taylor Druliner's favorite season. She loved pumpkin spiced lattes and everything autumnal.
Six months after her death, Taylor's mom heads into another season without her daughter.
"It's hard to move forward, right now, because this is just another reminder," said Taylor's mother, Carol McKinnon. Taylor Druliner, 30, died as spring was approaching.
It was just before 9 p.m. on March 19. Druliner was crossing Highway 99 just south of 148th Street when a southbound driver hit and killed her. She was less than a mile from her home, and just 10 days from her 31st birthday.
Since then, McKinnon said life has been "hell."
"It has just ripped us apart. I mean, I don't function real well right now," said McKinnon, fighting back tears. "I can't work. I can't live my life. It shattered a whole family and people that loved her."
McKinnon said she thinks of her daughter, and the fatal crash, every day.
"It's hard to close this and start healing because you go to the grocery store and I wonder if I'm standing next to the person who was driving the car that killed my daughter," she said.
On Friday, McKinnon released never-before-seen video of the car believed to have hit Taylor immediately after the collision. It's a metallic dark gray Toyota Camry between the years of 2007 and 2011. The driver appears to have his hazards on.
That leaves McKinnon with even more questions.
"Why did they not stop? Why did they just leave her? Why didn't they at least call 911?" she asked. "I mean, what if it was your sister, your best friend, your mother? Would you want that done to your loved one?"
Since Druliner's death, McKinnon has worked tirelessly in pursuit of justice. She has posted billboards with her daughter's picture and a photo of the car that killed her.
"I just need one tip to lead us to the person, or for the person to do the right thing and turn himself in," McKinnon said.
It's an unbreakable dedication by an admittedly broken mother — inspired by a relentless love for the daughter she deeply misses.
"I had hope she was going to survive this until her very last breath," McKinnon said. "I'm not going to give up hope of finding this person, and I'm not going to give up trying to find this person."
McKinnon's family is adding an additional $5,000 to the $1,000 reward currently being offered by Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound. You can call or email tips online and you can remain anonymous.