LAKE STEVENS — Rob Trickler wants to give his daughter the justice she deserves.
It’s been more than two months since an unknown driver hit and killed Heather Trickler, 15, on the U.S. 2 trestle. Her body was found two days later at the eastbound offramp to Ebey Island.
Detectives from the Washington State Patrol now believe a young man was walking with Heather along the highway shortly before the fatal accident.
Investigators want to talk with him.
“He obviously cared enough to be walking her home that night. She was always with somebody who could protect her. So he needs to come forward and do that,” Rob Trickler said Tuesday.
Detectives have not yet found the driver who ran over Heather, but her family hasn’t stopped fighting. This Friday and Saturday, they are holding a fundraiser at the Rocking Horse in Everett. They hope to raise money that they can offer as a reward for information that will help find Heather’s killer.
The girl was walking along U.S. 2 late on May 30 when the driver of a 1995 Chevrolet Astro minivan struck her. Investigators are looking for the van, which is painted blue over tan.
The van stopped briefly before fleeing the scene. Investigators are convinced whoever was at the wheel knows they hit somebody.
Rob Trickler believes his daughter was walking home for his birthday. She couldn’t find a ride.
“This is tearing the family up. It’s not easy to go on without Heather,” he said.
Detectives determined that Heather was not alone the night she died, trooper Keith Leary said. They are looking for the man who was walking with her.
Investigators believe an Ebey Island resident picked up the man on U.S. 2 the night Heather died and drove him to Everett, Leary said.
Heather’s companion is described as black, in his 20s, clean-shaven, with short to medium-length hair. He’s not in trouble, but detectives hope he will help narrow down where Heather was coming from that night.
“We really want to give closure to this family,” Leary said.
He asked anyone with any information to call the patrol at 360-658-2588.
The search for his daughter’s killer has consumed Rob Trickler’s life. He has heart problems. Nightmares poison his sleep. But he keeps going, he said, for Heather.
“I hope we’ll get somewhere before this breaks me,” Rob Trickler said.
Heather’s family and friends have kept busy for weeks planning the fundraiser, said Carole Macy of Everett, who is in charge of organizing the event.
“This has been a really good distraction,” she said. “It’s been a positive one.”
Rob Trickler, who is an attorney, is working with local lawmakers to draft three bills in Heather’s memory. The bills are expected to be introduced during the next legislative session.
One of the bills would give parents more tools to make their children follow the rules. Rob Trickler believes the law would really make a difference to parents of struggling children. He tried and failed to keep Heather in school and to stop her from leaving home. Authorities could only do so much to intervene.
“The courts are frustrated because they have no leverage to motivate these kids,” he said.
Another proposed law would increase the penalty for drivers who leave the scene of an accident if the accident involves a pedestrian. The third bill would provide for immediate help from the Crime Victims Compensation Program in hit-and-run cases. Under the current law, the Trickler family isn’t able to receive help from the fund until after the suspect is identified, he said.
“I need my daughter’s life to mean something to somebody besides her family, I can’t think of a better memorial than to maybe save another parent this heartache,” he said.
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452, kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
How to help
What: Heather Trickler Memorial and Reward Fundraiser.
Where: The Rocking Horse, 2201 Everett Ave., across from QFC.
When: Friday, Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound will pay up to $1,000 for information to help find the person responsible for Heather’s death. Call 800-222-TIPS. All calls are confidential.
Donations to the Heather Trickler Memorial Fund are being accepted at any Bank of America branch.
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