5-Year-Old Dead In Fremont Freeway Shooting; No Suspects In Custody

FREMONT, CA — The California Highway Patrol is working around the clock to solve a weekend freeway shooting in Fremont that claimed the life of Eliyanah Crisostomo, 5, who was heading to a birthday party in Milpitas with her family on Saturday.

A CHP spokesman told Patch the victims approached an officer working a traffic stop on Interstate 880, pleading for help for a child in their vehicle that had just been struck by gunfire. Medics rushed the girl to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead.

An online fundraiser to support the family had raised more than $44,000 by Monday afternoon as family and friends mourned the unimaginable loss of a life gone far too soon. According to the GoFundMe page, Crisostomo and her family were driving to the Outback Steakhouse in Milpitas for a birthday dinner when tragedy struck.

"Eliyanah was a fun-loving little girl who loved life, had a giving heart, close with her three siblings, especially her brother who were 11 months apart," wrote Jeff McGrew, the fundraiser's organizer. "Both were so excited for Easter before the family was torn to pieces by this tragic event. Eliyanah would have been 6 on the 21st of April. All we can do right now is rally together and help the family say goodbye to their little girl."

The CHP pulled resources from multiple offices to process the scene and develop leads in the shooting, which remains one of the agency's highest priorities.

"It's incredibly important for us," said Andy Barclay, public information officer for the CHP's Golden Gate Division. "Obviously any time there is a death of a child, it's something that I think elevates it for any law enforcement agency due to the tragic nature of it."

Citing police sources, some news outlets on Monday reported three people potentially linked to the shooting were in custody, but the CHP told Patch no suspects had been arrested in the case. Barclay said detectives were also considering if the freeway shooting was connected to another shooting in Fremont just a few minutes prior, but said it was too early to confirm a link.

"At this time we don't know," Barclay said. "The investigation is ongoing, and that is one thing of many that we're looking at."

The CHP continues to seek public help in solving the case and said anyone with information that could help should contact the tipline at 707-917-4491.