Mark Ross from Detroit has been in trouble with the law before, but says he is working hard trying to get his life together.
He was working a job out of state when he got a devastating phone call.
His sister, 15-year-old Eliza Fletcher, was a passenger in a car over the weekend. Some witnesses say that near Whitehall and Casino on Detroit’s east side another driver cut them off. The car crashed into a tree.
"My brother called me,” said Ross. "Eliza’s dead. I just broke down. Broke down all the way.”
Ross could only thing of one thing. He needed to find a ride home to Detroit. He woke up a co-worker, who said he would help.
"He was hurting just like me,” said Ross. "He was just trying to get me back.”
As they drove in Ohio, they got pulled over for speeding.
Mark Ross says he doesn’t trust police. He grabbed his phone and started recording video.
He knew police knew he had a criminal history. There was a warrant for a non-violent felony out for him in Wayne County. He watched as police arrested his co-worker for driving without a license and towed the car. Then they approached him.
"I just knew something was going to go wrong, but it was the opposite,” said Ross.
“We’ll get you as far north as we can, if someone can start driving south,” said an Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper.
Turns out police in Michigan weren’t interested in picking him up for that warrant, so an Ohio State Highway Patrol sergeant offered to drive him to family. Sgt. Dave Robison drove as Mark cried.
"I was crying. Someone had shared a video of my sister dead and I just broke down. He reached over and said, 'Can I pray for you? Can I pray for you?' Sure. His prayer was so touching. I felt it. I really felt the Spirit. I really felt it,” said Ross.
He shared the story on Facebook and it went viral.
"It just goes to show that the world we live in is not black and white,” said Ross. "It is not blue and black. It is us. We all are one."
He says it is a tribute to his sister, an honor roll student full of love, that her death inspired a story of hope.
"Not only can I celebrate her life, but we can celebrate her life and start a movement."
Ross is asking for help with funeral expenses for his sister. Donations can be made on a GoFundMe page.
