TREMONTON, Utah — The parents of a teen killed after being hit by a garbage truck while riding her bike in Tremonton are trying to raise money for the oldest of four sisters to be buried in the Colorado mountains
Pake and DeShawna Joe said their daughter, 16-year-old SoRaya Manakaja, died Tuesday while riding along 1500 West Main Street.
“Our goal is to get her back down to Colorado to lay her down to rest with my grandma and her auntie,” said Pake, “and so whatever help we can get from the community is very much appreciated. Anything helps.”
SoRaya was just starting her junior year at Bear River High School and was studying for her permit driving test. Her parents said their daughter loved camping and they hope they can bury her in the mountains, starting a GoFundMe to help raise funds to make it happen.
“I want to lay her in Colorado because it’s so pretty and she deserves the best,” said DeShawna, “She loves the mountains and likes the green grass and the four seasons and I think that’s where she’d love to be at and rest in peace.
"We just want our baby buried the right way and the best for her.”
The Joe's described SoRaya as a great older sister who always put others before herself.
“She always thought about just everybody around her,” said DeShawna, “She showed so much love to everybody.”
DeShawna said they are trying to come to terms with losing their daughter, who loved living in Utah.
“She loved her friends. She loved the community. She loved this place. She loved her school," she said, "and she was having a really good start this whole new year. She was very confident of her junior year at Bear River High School. She had a lot of really good friends here.”
Police said they are still investigating the incident but based on the evidence they have, they believe it was a tragic accident.
