Published: Thursday, August 19, 2010
Strangling death shocks Monroe family
The strangling victim's younger sister says she helped Angela Pettifer move to Monroe because she thought she would be safe.
MONROE -- When she was a kid, Angela Pettifer used to crawl into bed with her younger sister. She didn't like to sleep alone, and she liked to watch over the little girl who called her Lala.
"She was like my security blanket," Cindy Hartzell said Wednesday. "She was always trying to protect me."
Hartzell wanted to do the same for her sister.
When Pettifer was severely beaten by a boyfriend in 2008, Hartzell helped her move from Kirkland to Monroe. She'd be closer to her family. She could start over.
"I brought her here to be safe," Hartzell said. "I obviously picked wrong."
Pettifer, 36, was strangled inside her downtown Monroe apartment. Her body was found Sunday morning.
Detectives are interviewing numerous people but haven't identified a suspect, police spokeswoman Debbie Willis said Wednesday.
Investigators are hoping to speak with anyone who saw Pettifer downtown Saturday night or early Sunday morning. Pettifer had been out with her father. The two separated and he took a cab home to Shoreline, Hartzell said.
No one had heard from Pettifer by morning.
The father of Pettifer's 14-year-old son went to check on her. He found her unresponsive and summoned help.
He called Hartzell with the news as she was returning from church.
"I saw her every day," Hartzell said. "She wasn't sick. She was fine. I went to her apartment. The dishes were done. She was fine. Now she's gone."
Pettifer was happy, her sister said. She'd quickly gotten a job at Red Robin in Monroe. She'd made new friends and recently spent time with her 7-year-old daughter, whom she called the "love of her life."
The little girl's father had to tell her that Pettifer was in heaven now.
"She didn't deserve this. She deserves some justice," Hartzell said. "I want someone to pay for this."
While police search for the killer, Hartzell is planning her sister's funeral.
"I knew I loved my sister. I just didn't know how much we were connected, how much she was a part of my life until she was taken," Hartzell said.
Monroe doesn't feel the same anymore, she said. It is where her husband grew up. She moved there nearly nine years ago.
"We thought we were bringing her to a small town to get away from a crowd that was bad for her," Hartzell said. "Something went wrong."
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
Did you see victim?
Anyone who saw Angela Pettifer on Saturday or Sunday is asked to call 360-794-6300. Anonymous information also may be left on the department's tip line at 360-863-4600.
"She was like my security blanket," Cindy Hartzell said Wednesday. "She was always trying to protect me."
Hartzell wanted to do the same for her sister.
When Pettifer was severely beaten by a boyfriend in 2008, Hartzell helped her move from Kirkland to Monroe. She'd be closer to her family. She could start over.
"I brought her here to be safe," Hartzell said. "I obviously picked wrong."
Pettifer, 36, was strangled inside her downtown Monroe apartment. Her body was found Sunday morning.
Detectives are interviewing numerous people but haven't identified a suspect, police spokeswoman Debbie Willis said Wednesday.
Investigators are hoping to speak with anyone who saw Pettifer downtown Saturday night or early Sunday morning. Pettifer had been out with her father. The two separated and he took a cab home to Shoreline, Hartzell said.
No one had heard from Pettifer by morning.
The father of Pettifer's 14-year-old son went to check on her. He found her unresponsive and summoned help.
He called Hartzell with the news as she was returning from church.
"I saw her every day," Hartzell said. "She wasn't sick. She was fine. I went to her apartment. The dishes were done. She was fine. Now she's gone."
Pettifer was happy, her sister said. She'd quickly gotten a job at Red Robin in Monroe. She'd made new friends and recently spent time with her 7-year-old daughter, whom she called the "love of her life."
The little girl's father had to tell her that Pettifer was in heaven now.
"She didn't deserve this. She deserves some justice," Hartzell said. "I want someone to pay for this."
While police search for the killer, Hartzell is planning her sister's funeral.
"I knew I loved my sister. I just didn't know how much we were connected, how much she was a part of my life until she was taken," Hartzell said.
Monroe doesn't feel the same anymore, she said. It is where her husband grew up. She moved there nearly nine years ago.
"We thought we were bringing her to a small town to get away from a crowd that was bad for her," Hartzell said. "Something went wrong."
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
Did you see victim?
Anyone who saw Angela Pettifer on Saturday or Sunday is asked to call 360-794-6300. Anonymous information also may be left on the department's tip line at 360-863-4600.
Comments
(
