JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A heartbroken mother shared her pain nearly 24 hours after her 17-year-old daughter was hit and killed while jogging on the Southside.

Police said Jordan Rachel Williams was running in place in the middle of Kernan Boulevard waiting to finish crossing at the intersection of Hunters Haven Lane when two vehicles struck her.

Police continued Thursday in their effort to find the first driver, who did not stop after hitting the teen, as Williams' mother, Lisa Peak, described the loss of her only child.

"I was cooking dinner, and she kissed me on the cheek and said, 'I love you. I'll be right back. I'm going for a run.' She put her iPod on, and out the door she went," Peak said.

However, the Fletcher High School senior never returned home.

"She thought it was clear. A southbound car hit her, pushing her into the path of a northbound car," Jacksonville Sheriff's Office spokesman Ken Jefferson said.

Rescue personnel pronounced Williams dead at the scene.

"I ran as fast as I could. My legs were completely numb. I got there, and she was completely covered with a sheet in the street -- gone," said Peak. "The world is full of a lot of bad things. It's just a shame that we lost such a good-hearted, good-spirited, genuinely good person."

She said her daughter was expected to graduate in May.

"She wanted to go to UF. She told me it was to go be Tim Tebow's wife," Peak said. "She gave me a lot of wonderful memories. She was a wonderful, wonderful daughter. I couldn't have asked for a better child. I loved her eyes. I loved her smile. She could always draw out the best in people, me too. I'll see her again one day."

Wednesday morning, friends placed flowers and a wooden cross as an impromptu memorial to Williams near the intersection where Williams died. Wednesday evening, friends and fellow students honored Williams by dedicating a recital in which the teen was supposed to dance to her memory.

"There are a lot of student involved in it and they felt it was best to dedicate it to her and to dance for her," said Fletcher High School Principal Dane Gilbert.

"She was just an amazing girl. There was not one person who met her and didn't like her. She had friends everywhere. Everyone she met always remembered her," said friend Staci Robertson. "Tonight, we had a candlelight service for her down at the beach, where she always surfed. There were over 200 people there with candles."

Investigators continue to search for the first driver who hit Williams.

"We all want to find who did it. I hope the person doesn't sleep a peep any night. I hope they never sleep until they turn themselves in. If it was an accident, it was an accident. Accidents happen, but to run you're guilty," said friend Dawn Mickler.

Police said because of the time and location of the hit-and-run -- rush hour on Kernan -- they believe someone saw something.

"There are a lot of unanswered questions right now that we really need answered. So, we really need cooperation from the public," Jefferson said.

Anyone with information about the fatal hit-and-run is asked to the JSO at 904-630-0500 or Crimestoppers at 866-845-TIPS.