Family defends Wyoming County parents arrested in teen girl’s death
By Lou Michel, The Buffalo News, N.Y. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
"Marissa and I were very close. We had impressed upon her that she could not ride her horse unless she took her medications. She could not have seizures and be on her horse. We were not going to put her in danger. She had no problem with that because she loved the horse. The horse was her world," Kemp said Friday.
It was not until
The day before Marissa died, an ambulance crew responded to a call seeking first aid for "a 15-year-old female that had a seizure and was not breathing" at the Ikelers' home in the 5200 block of
Marissa was pronounced dead from her injuries at
The delay in concluding the criminal investigation against the parents was caused by a lengthy process in obtaining medical records on Marissa from
Rudolph and
In shedding some light, the DA also released a statement Friday, stating sheriff's investigators and medical examiner officials "sought out numerous types of documents which took a significant amount of time to acquire and assess," and, he added, "All of the agencies have taken this matter seriously from the outset, but at the same time justice dictates a thorough review so that a rush to judgment is not made."
The explanation did little to soothe Kemp.
"I am devastated about Marissa's passing and now this," the grandmother said. "They are totally ripping this family apart."
He was raised in
"From everything I know to be true, all I can say is that it is contradictory to what they have been charged with,"
She added that her brother, who currently works in farming, has health insurance from his past military service and was able to afford medications for Marissa.
When
"Marissa had a smaller seizure earlier in the day, and they made an appointment to see the doctor," Kemp said of her son and daughter-in-law's action on
"Marissa was a very levelheaded kid, very smart, and she knew I stuck to the rules," she said.
Kemp, who lives on a farm in
"It was my understanding from Marissa that she was taking her meds. I had no reason to doubt her. I was with her daily," Kemp said.
Marissa's sisters, Megan, 8, and Mikayal, 11, are staying with their grandfather,
Both Kemp and
"My son just cried. He sobbed, he sobbed horribly, when I saw him Thursday in jail," Kemp said. "My daughter-in-law is a stay-at-home mom, and she is still in shock."
The parents are scheduled to appear in
Marissa, whose horse is named Lady, was scheduled to start ninth grade next week at
Besides horseback riding, she also enjoyed playing soccer, according to
email: [email protected]
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