TRI-CITIES, Wash.- A family has come forward to provide a funeral for the stillborn baby found along I-82 on March 6. The family contacted Benton County Coroner William Leach to coordinate and the community is invited to the funeral at Sunset Memorial Gardens on Saturday, April 8 at 2 p.m.
The family released the following letter ahead of the funeral:
“Occasionally, life throws you moments you never forget. As a family of first responders, we have dealt with death many times. However, when we heard the news that the body of a tiny, infant girl was found discarded along the roadway, it became one of those moments we will never forget. The emotions that we felt broke our hearts. We knew that we had to do something to provide this little girl with a proper burial. We reached out to our friends who we knew could help us make this happen, and through their generosity, we were able to secure everything necessary for her funeral.
Throughout all of this, we have wished to remain anonymous. We chose to do this work for this tiny infant in the hopes that the community and her family will have closure. We do not want our involvement to distract from the importance of this infant. We do not know the details that led to this situation, but we know that there are many others all around who need our help. Hopefully, as we remember this little girl, we can each be more compassionate and a little more willing to reach out and help those around us. We would also like to express our hope that any who find themselves facing a similar decision will reach out to the many wonderful agencies in our community that provide services to women and children. Please remember that you are not alone. There are people who care about you and are willing to help.
Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to the many individuals and businesses that came together and donated so generously, so that a proper funeral could be held for this little girl. We would like to invite the community to join us for her graveside service at Sunset Memorial Gardens this Saturday, April 8th at 2pm.”
