Young Shirley mom killed in hit-and-run

Suffolk County police are searching for the hit-and-run driver who killed a 24-year-old mother from Shirley late Thursday night.

Erika Hughes was walking in the street on Mastic Road just south of Riverside Avenue when she was struck and killed by a southbound truck that drove away, police said.

Hughes' family is making preparations for her wake Sunday.

"She was loved by so many people," said her father, Dennis Hughes, in a telephone interview Friday. "She was just a beautiful young woman who will be missed."

Hughes was an excellent mother to her 15-month-old daughter, Dennis Hughes said. "It was amazing how such a tiny little girl could carry that baby and bounce her around," Hughes said of his 4-foot-10 daughter.

She shared her love for animals with her daughter.

"When you saw them both at the zoo you could see [it]," Hughes said. "She's been everywhere [with her daughter], the Bronx Zoo, Hershey Park, Central Park."

Erika Hughes kept close to her family, her father said, and often visited her grandparents.

She had the same close-knit group of friends from when she attended William Floyd High School and Suffolk County Community College, where she studied advertising, he said.

She worked at Atlantic Toyota in Amityville in the Internet sales department, where co-workers said she was good at her job.

"She was always in a good mood, she was professional," said co-worker Kenyis Rosario, 25. "If you'd ask her for a favor, she was always up to do something."

Dennis Hughes said he and his wife, Lori, as well as his daughter's boyfriend of four years, will care for her daughter.

The blond little girl is too young to realize what has happened, but Dennis Hughes said he knows what he will tell her about her mother when she's old enough to understand.

"[I'll tell her] she was a very sweet and generous person," he said. "She was someone to emulate -- her personality and the love she had for life."

Police said witnesses described the vehicle that hit Erika Hughes as a dark-colored truck, possibly a pickup or tow truck. They said the truck, which could have front-end damage, continued driving south on Mastic Road and eventually turned east.

Seventh Squad detectives ask anyone with information to call 631-852-8752 or Crime Stoppers at 800-220-8477. All calls will remain confidential.