OAK HARBOR – Community support for Elaine Sepulveda and her family continued to grow Saturday as disbelief and the shock of her death spread around Whidbey Island.
Residents left hundreds of flowers, candles, teddy bears and balloons at the base of a large poster of Elaine, 15, that the family had put up outside their house.
On Saturday, mourners also continued to stop by a makeshift memorial set up outside the house where the girl’s body was recovered Friday morning. Mourners lit candles and left flowers, adding to those left during a Friday night vigil at the site.
Michael V. Martina / The Herald
Next-door neighbor Jared O’Brien, 15, said his family is still in shock that Elaine’s body was so close to them while family and friends desperately pleaded for her return over a period of two months.
“We just couldn’t believe it,” Jared said. “My dad was so upset he couldn’t go to work, and my stepmom was in hysterics.”
Elaine, a sophomore at Oak Harbor High School, was reported missing Nov. 6 after she apparently sneaked out of her house early that morning to meet her boyfriend, James L. Sanders, 18. On Friday, police arrested Sanders, a senior at the high school, after he reportedly confessed to his grandfather about killing Elaine because he believed she was pregnant with his child. He was jailed on suspicion of second-degree murder.
An autopsy of the body hadn’t been completed to determine the cause of death as of Saturday.
On Saturday, police tape still surrounded the home of Sanders’ grandfather. “We’re not allowed to go in our back yard except to feed the dog,” Jared said.
He said he used to see Sanders mowing and raking his grandfather’s lawn. Sanders lived with his mother a few blocks away.
Sanders used to work at Little Caesar’s Pizza inside the Oak Harbor Kmart store. He was let go about a month ago, according to assistant manager Jenn Arellano.
“It’s hard for me to imagine that he did it. He doesn’t seem like the type of person to strategize to do something like that,” she said.
Arrellano said Sanders’ behavior didn’t change at work after Elaine went missing. “He didn’t talk much. He was in his own little world,” she said.
The tragedy has left the community numb.
Rick Schulte, superintendent of the Oak Harbor School District, said he went to Oak Harbor High School on Friday after learning of the discovery from police in the morning. “It was grief and sadness,” Schulte said.
The high school, which has about 1,700 students and 80 teachers, brought in six youth pastors and two outside counselors in addition to the school’s five counselors to help students deal with the tragedy, Schulte said.
Several students filled a big sheet of paper with consoling messages to send to the victim’s family, Schulte said. Students also canceled a fund-raising dance for a debate team.
For the school, the incident meant two tragedies, Schulte said, since both the suspect and the victim attended the school and had friends there.
“This is very rare. In fact, I’ve never experienced something like this,” he said.
If the victim’s family agrees to it, the high school would like to hold a memorial service for Elaine, Schulte said.
“Everybody’s heart still goes out for the victim and the family members,” he said.
Meanwhile, school officials are ready to talk to the suspect’s friends, Schulte said. “We don’t know how they will react,” he said.
School officials haven’t decided whether to bring in additional counselors on Tuesday, Schulte said. Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the school will be closed.
“With the help of a three-day weekend, students will be able to talk to their families,” he said.
Oak Harbor City Council member Sue Karahalios said she met Elaine, a member of the Boys &Girls Club, about a year ago at the city library. “She just appeared to just have a smile,” Karahalios said.
The city may do something in response to the tragedy, but first wants to identify what the victim’s family and the city’s schools and youth organizations need, Karahalios said.
“We keep an eye out for our children,” she said.
The town is usually safe and is not accustomed to dealing with high-profile crimes such as this one, said City Council member Larry Eaton, 61, who has lived in Oak Harbor for 35 years.
“It’s just a shock to the community,” he said.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
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