'We need our car:' Family of 16-year-old girl found shot in her car in Henderson speaks out about transportation challenges

Police say they found Krystal Gray inside a silver Acura SUV parked near a playground at the intersection of Montgomery and College Street on Dec. 17, 2022.

For Krystal Gray’s mother, remembering her is emotional.

"We lost our baby,’ Shiela Gray said.

Gray told WRAL News the car their daughter was found in has been impounded at Fred’s Towing and Transport since December.

The car was the Grays’ only mode of transportation.

"We got it December 3rd. She died in it December 17th,” Gray said.

'It's outrageous:' 16-year-old girl found shot in her car near Henderson playground

Gray said for months, her family has depended on friends and family to get them where they need to go.

"My brother took us, my neighbor took us, [and] there were different people we had to pay," she said.

After months of an ongoing investigation, the Grays reached out to police in hopes they could get their car back.

Gray said she was given no timeline on when she would get the car back. WRAL took Gray’s concerns to the Henderson Police Department.

The department responded with a statement."The vehicle that Krystal Gray was in at the time of the incident became our focus and primary source of evidence," the statement read." The vehicle was processed by our agency for the collection and preservation of evidence, but procedures given to us by our prosecutor’s office have us maintaining custody of the vehicle for future court proceedings."

The Gray family worries that her daughter’s case will never be solved.

"My baby died in that car. We want it. Even if we don’t drive it, we want it."

WRAL went to Fred’s Towing and Transport to ask for more information about the car and was turned away.