Family devastated after KC-area mom, 2-year-old killed in crash

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s an unimaginable grief. A Kansas City-area family is planning funeral services for a 26-year-old and her 2-year-old daughter. 

Prosecutors are accusing the toddler’s father, 25-year-old Derrius L. Tolson, of driving 94 mph before crashing, leaving his girlfriend and child dead. 

“There are no words to explain what this is. No parent should ever have to bury their kids, much less their grandkids all in one swoop,” Virginia Perkins, who lost her daughter and granddaughter, told FOX4. 

Tolson, who was driving his Jeep Grand Cherokee when it crashed, now faces two counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter.

Virginia Perkins said the hardest thing to do is explain to her 5-year-old granddaughter, who just started kindergarten, that she will never see her mom Deja Perkins or her little sister Amora again.

Now, not only is this family grieving, they’re also trying to make sense of a sudden and heartbreaking tragedy. 

“This is the hardest part of this is knowing that I can’t just pick up the phone and call her. We all keep looking at the doorway, waiting for her to walk up the stairs and greet everybody,” Perkins said.

To say the Perkins family feels a void is an understatement. They’re struggling to adequately describe the pain they’re dealing with right now.

All they’re left with are memories and pictures that illustrate who these two were.

“Deja was always happy. Deja was goofy and playful. She was like the most awesome mom you could ever think of. Her kids were her world,” Perkins said.

She said Deja was all that plus kind, respectful and loving. Two-year-old Amora was joyous, never a moment without a smile on her face, according to her grandmother.

“She was a happy baby, very smart, very outgoing and she loved her sister a lot,” Perkins said.

On Saturday, Tolson had Deja and Amora with him in the car. Court documents say he was going to pick up a relative. After stopping for a red light, prosecutors said Tolson began racing another car, reaching 94 mph in a 40 mph speed zone.  

“I can just imagine what she was in that car feeling when that car was going so fast. I can hear her in my head right now telling him to stop, slow down,” Perkins said.

Before long, police said Tolson hit a Honda turning off the southbound ramp on Bannister Road. He and the 2-year-old were both thrown from the car. Tolson survived with only minor injuries.
Deja and Amora both died.

“I just want to know why – why would you do that? Why? Knowing your baby was in the car, even your girlfriend was in the car, like why would you endanger them like that?” Perkins said.

Tolson remains behind bars – and he’s due back in court next Monday for a bond hearing.

Amora’s 3rd birthday was next week, and her party was scheduled for this weekend. Perkins said they will still have it in honor of her short life.

Most importantly, this sudden loss has created an immense burden for this family. If you’d like to help, visit this website and go to the donate section. Please write Deja and Amora Foundation in the notes section, family said.