Dad visits his daughter's grave and reveals who is her killer

A senseless tragedy claimed a young girl's life so her dad made an online plea to others in the hope of saving someone else's child from the same error of judgment. His video went viral.

Little Things shared this shattering message about alcohol and substance abuse posted by Rick Ellis who lost his six-year-old girl, Lindsey, in a drunk driving accident near Beaumont, Mississippi.

Our AmoMama research team comes across far too many heartbreaking stories about addiction and the downward spiral that it sends its sufferers into. We believe that messages like Rick Ellis' can make a difference.

Read more on our Twitter account @amomama_usa

Standing in front of his daughter's grave in 2014, Rick felt like a broken man. It had been a short four years since Lindsey's tragic death in 2010, yet it felt like he had already lived an eternity of sorrow.

Rick was drowning in questions – the kind of questions that could never be answered in a way that would bring him the solace he desperately needed.

He recalled clearly how he had turned to God in those dark moments when he stood in that desolate graveyard, his tears flowing free, begging for answers that were out of his reach.

Source: YouTube/Rick Ellis

Desperate, he asked God what to do, and at that moment Rick believes God told him to tell the world how he felt. He reached for his phone and recorded this heartbreaking video as a warning and a plea to those who struggle with addiction.

“If you’re struggling with addiction, if you’re struggling with alcohol, I hope this can help you."

Rick Ellis, YouTube, July 26, 2014

It was not until Rick panned the phone's camera to the grave that the harrowing circumstances behind his little girl's death were revealed.

His daughter had been stolen from him in an instant because of the reckless error of a drunk driver. To add insult to injury, the driver had been her own mother.

Lindsey had been crushed to death in a car accident in which her mom, Rick's ex-wife, Christy Ellis, had been drunk at the wheel.

Christy had been unemployed for three months and had started to drink excessively during that period, and as Rick said in his video:

"It didn't turn out too well."

Ellis was with her boyfriend on the day of the accident. The couple had apparently engaged in a heated fight. Drunk and enraged, Christy took her daughter and drove off in a fit of anger. Her car veered off the road and, hitting a guardrail, flipped over.

The car was sent flying through the air, crushing and killing both Lindsey and Christy on impact. Rick's entire world was instantly overturned along with the car. The sudden loss of his little girl shook him to the very core of his being.

Rick's emotional video is a desperate call to those who are caught in the merciless grip of addiction to seek help before it spins out of control. He wouldn't wish his heartache to be experienced by another father, mother, or family.

“Don’t let your loved ones look down at you six feet in the ground ’cause you couldn’t handle life. Pull your bootlegs up. Grab ahold of life. Make something of it. Make Mom and Daddy proud.”

We at AmoMama urge our readers to share his message and to reach out to your loved ones who are themselves battling addiction.

Instead of shunning addicts, why not offer support and understanding?