DUNGENESS — A mom sits in the bedroom of her Dungeness home, folding laundry to bring routine into her world while trying to put her 19-year-old daughter’s death into context.
Barbara Holden’s daughter, Heather Holden, was one of three young adults killed New Year’s Eve when the car in which they were passengers went off Palo Alto Road and overturned several times.
Twenty-two-year-old Paul Boynton and 19-year-old Aaron Gambell were also killed.
All three victims were from Sequim, although Gambell was home after recently returning from a job in California.
Although no charges have been filed against driver Mary K. Kniskern, 26, of Sequim, the Washington State Patrol says alcohol was involved.
The State Patrol also reports none of the three who died when they were ejected from the car during the crash were wearing seat belts.
Mrs. Holden acknowledges it wasn’t out-of-context for her daughter to drink and party with friends.
Her daughter’s ticket for minor in possession of alcohol a few months ago attests to that.
“Heather wasn’t perfect, we know that, but she was a good girl,” Mrs. Holden said.
But for Mrs. Holden, two pieces don’t fit the puzzle of her daughter’s death.
One of those pieces is the State Patrol’s assertion Heather wasn’t wearing a seat belt.
The other piece is the State Patrol’s assertion alcohol was a contributing factor in the crash.
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The rest of the story appears in the Wednesday Peninsula Daily News. Click on SUBSCRIBE, above, to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.
