Police have arrested two people in connection with the death of 18-month-old toddler Mariah Gibson of Goshen.

Gibson was killed around 9:30 p.m. Monday in an alleged hit and run accident that turned out to be falsely reported.

Officers arrested Mande Turner-Berger, 22 and Daniel Pennington, 31, of Goshen Wednesday afternoon for Obstruction of Justice, a class D Felony, in connection with Mariah’s death.

As of Wednesday night, both remained behind bars at the Elkhart County Corrections Complex where Turner-Burger faces additional charges on a Goshen City warrant and a no-bond Marshall County warrant.

The Elkhart County Prosecutor's Office is reviewing the case and will determine any additional charges against the two in connection with Gibson's death.

After a thorough investigation of the reported hit and run, Goshen detectives said they were unable to corroborate certain events which had originally been described by Turner-Berger. After conducting additional interviews, detectives determined Turner-Berger created a fake story in attempt to cover-up the truth behind her daughter’s death.

"The police were telling us at the hospital that there was no evidence of Mariah being hit by a car," Mariah’s grandmother Carol Aguilar said. "What hurts me the most is I consoled her at the hospital and then I get a phone call that she had a hand in it. I wish I could just wash that away for what she's done. there's no forgiving that. None."

Indiana Department of Correction records show Pennington has a lengthy rap sheet of theft, robbery and child molestation convictions dating back to 1998. Documents further detail the 30-year-old has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison. He was most recently released in June 2010.

"How can they [Turner-Burger and Pennington] sit back and lie about what happened? They took a life that was a part of me. Mariah was only 18 months old and never got to live her life,” Aguilar added.

Turner-Burger’s MySpace page lists dozens of photos of her four children, two of which family friends said she recently lost custody of. There’s a picture of Mariah’s ultrasound, another shows Turner-Burger in a hospital bed as she prepared to give birth to the now deceased toddler.

“Shame on Mande and Dan for what they did because you know what, not only do they have to deal with it through the courts, but with the good lord above they have to face,” Aguilar concluded.

Wednesday evening the family held a candle light vigil for Gibson at the intersection of 8th and Bridge where Turner-Berger originally told police she and her two children were walking.

"It's been rough. It's never going to really set in until you have to actually bury them and then it's twice as bad. I know I'm never going to be the same person again," said Jerry Looney, Gibson's father.

So far, police have not released many details about how Gibson was killed, leading to numerous rumors throughout the community.

"There's been story after stories, after stories, after stories, after stories about what's happened. I want to know the truth," said Aguilar.

Turner-Berger said she was carrying one child in a car seat and Mariah in her other hand. She set Mariah down to walk, but the girl pulled away from her and wandered into the roadway.

Police were told she was struck by a car traveling eastbound on Bridge Street and that the car kept going after hitting the girl, continuing northbound onto 8th Street.

Turner-Berger told police the car that hit Mariah was a rusty older, dark red passenger 4-door car. Police have since called off their search for that suspect vehicle now believed to have never existed.

Police say bystanders were performing CPR on Mariah when they arrived.

"They brought the baby in screaming, ‘Call 911, the baby's been hit by a car,’” Leslie Taylor recalled.

Beaten and battered, Taylor put her two young grandkids aside to try and save Mariah’s life.

"When I was giving her CPR, the blood started coming out of her nose and she took one last breath and that was it, I knew she was gone,” Taylor added.

Firefighters said they also tried to revive the girl at the scene, but she was pronounced dead at Indiana University Health at Goshen Hospital.

Turner-Berger’s original report of a hit and run set off a fire storm in Goshen’s Chamberlain Neighborhood.

"I've lived on this street for 12 years and it's been an issue every since I've been here," Neighborhood Association board member Phil LaBar said. "It seems like certain people want to use this street as a race track."

LaBar didn't actually see the accident but says four kids have been hit by a car in his time living there. Had Turner-Berger’s original story been true, Mariah’s death would have been the fifth incident.

LaBar says the neighborhood association has asked about stop signs, speed bumps, even lowering the speed limit, but so far, the city has said their suggestions would only increase accidents and would be too costly.

“I’ve driven to other parts of the city where public officials live and they have stop signs, speed bumps, ya know the whole gamut. We should get that too,” LaBar concluded.

Aside from dozens of family homes, a community garden, church and City Park also sit along the stretch of 8th Street in question, all of which attract swarms of children.

The viewing for Gibson is on Friday at 10:00 a.m. at Yoder-Culp Funeral Home in Goshen. The funeral service will follow at 11:00 a.m. Gibson will be laid to rest at West Goshen Cemetery.