SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – It was a holiday tragedy after a father was mowed down by a car and left to die.

The driver apparently never stopped after hitting the man along Valley Hi Drive in south Sacramento, where the body was discovered the day after Christmas.

A memorial has been set up where David Mickens was killed during a walk to his friend’s house the morning after Christmas.

The pain was all too real for Mickens’ sister, Timita Rowe.

“He’s my brother so I love him, special cause he’s my brother,” said Rowe.

Investigators say Mickens was killed after a car hit him and took off. Detectives found a broken headlamp and turn signal at the scene, but no witnesses.

Turning this tragedy into an even bigger mystery, Mickens’ girlfriend is pleading for answers.

“If anybody knows anything, please come forward. We need this closure; this is my daughter’s father,” said Katherine Henderson.

Investigators believe the car must have damage to the front, right side, and that someone knows something. But it brings little comfort to Mickens’ family, who instead of enjoying this holiday season, is grieving and trying to figure out how one day they’ll be forced to tell his baby daughter what happened to her father.

“Just please come forward, please. You just left him there like an animal,” said Rowe. “It’s not right. Nobody deserves that. I don’t care what they did in life, nobody deserves that.”

There is a $1,000 reward being offered, but at this point, there are still no clues. The family is planning a funeral for Mickens next week.