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The elderly woman who ran over in June and left a three-year-old child for dead outside his Melbourne nursery has yet to be charged.
Ethan Nguyen was beaten in front of his ‘distraught’ mother at about 6:30pm on June 2, shocking onlookers on McIntyre Rd in Sunshine North, west Melbourne.
A 73-year-old woman from Heathcote Junction claimed responsibility the following day, but only after an exhaustive manhunt.
She was questioned by detectives and released “pending further investigation”.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal that detectives are still investigating how little Ethan was murdered more than four months after his death.
A spokeswoman for Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia that detectives are still waiting for the pathologist’s report to determine the cause of death
“The investigation is still ongoing,” she said.
Ethan Nguyen, 3, was killed after driving into the path of a 73-year-old woman’s car. The woman fled the scene
A photo of Ethan was pinned to a tree by his parents at a makeshift monument next to the road where he died
Tributes were left for little Ethan where he drove in the path of a car on McIntyre Road
A day after the toddler’s death, witnesses claimed the driver had no doubts that she hit Ethan and dragged him up to 100 feet (30 meters) below her vehicle.
Barber Saad Alyoshik, directly across from the scene of the tragedy, said he watched in horror as the boy pulled out of a garage onto the road.
“He gets on the road, he ran and then hit the car, he didn’t see him, he hit him and then he ran. It’s very bad,” he said.
“My business owner, he says ‘stop, stop’. We see the boy when he gets there and he’s a little boy, he never heard or don’t understand. That’s why.
“And then I saw the accident… I think someone opened the garage and he was just running.”
Some witnesses told the Daily Mail Australia that they believed there was a man at the wheel of the car when Ethan was hit.
Ethan’s mother Phuong, father Dinh Phan and his big brother and little sister posted a photo of Ethan on a nearby tree and were comforted by family members as they assessed the makeshift monument that day.
The car that killed little Ethan on Thursday. The driver has yet to be charged for leaving the scene after the incident
Ethan’s father (left) said he had already forgiven the person who killed his child. He returned to the scene of the accident on Thursday (photo)
Adorable: Ethan Nguyen, 3, was punched in front of his ‘distraught’ mother as he ran onto the road
Mr Phan told the Herald Sun he had already forgiven the driver who killed his son.
“I want to tell them, I’m so sorry too,” he said.
“If you have a child, they run fast. Everything is now done. I’m sorry about the driver.’
Graphic CCTV footage from a nearby store shows Ethan being dragged several feet by a red sedan as his mother comes to his rescue.
Emergency services immediately arrived and tried desperately to treat the boy’s life-threatening injuries. He was taken to hospital where he later died.
Chief Inspector John Fitzpatrick said the incident was witnessed by multiple witnesses.
“We have a lot of others to talk to through our CCTV cameras, but yes, we have people to help us,” Chief Inspector Fitzpatrick said.
Detectives believe speed played no part in the tragic accident.
“There was quite a lot of traffic along that road at that time of night. So we’re certainly not claiming that car exceeded the speed limit,” Chief Inspector Fitzpatrick said.
Anyone with information about the incident can contact Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000.
Little Ethan’s mother (center) attends a memorial service for her son next to where he was murdered on Thursday
The child was beaten at approximately 6:30 p.m. on 3 June in front of his “distraught” mother and a number of other witnesses on McIntyre Rd in Sunshine North, west Melbourne (scene pictured, showing a single shoe in the center of the shoe). away)
CCTV footage of the scene shows the car driving through the area