LAKE STEVENS — Rob Trickler wants to know who killed his daughter, his Sweetpea.
Heather Trickler’s body was found June 1 along U.S. 2 at the eastbound offramp to Ebey Island. The 15-year-old girl was walking along the highway late on May 30 when a still-unidentified driver hit her and fled.
Evidence showed that the vehicle briefly stopped before taking off. Detectives believe whoever was at the wheel knows they hit someone.
“I want them to know the girl they killed. I want them to know how many people they’ve hurt,” Rob Trickler said.
He sat at the table Sunday night in the living room of his Lake Stevens home. Head lowered, he rested his hands on the table. He talked about Heather.
May 31 was Rob Trickler’s birthday. A nameless, nagging feeling crept up to him that weekend.
Heather wasn’t home. She came and went often. Her father didn’t want her gone, but he couldn’t make her stay. There were times when Heather lived with friends.
She wasn’t rebellious, Trickler said. Leaving was her way of avoiding conflict. She hated conflict. “As a father, that drove me crazy,” he said. Still, Heather always came back home.
The girl struggled. She hadn’t attended classes in months. Court records show some minor brushes with the law, including a document that makes reference to the girl putting herself in risky situations.
On June 1, Rob Trickler was about to head home when the manager at his Everett office said traffic on U.S. 2 was backed up. Police had found a body on the trestle.
A nameless dread took root.
Heather Trickler’s family kept trying to reach her, without success. Then the reason came clear.
Grief came crashing down.
Rob Trickler thinks Heather was headed home for his birthday. She likely ended up trying to walk along the U.S. 2 trestle because she couldn’t find a ride.
The father still hopes whoever killed his daughter will do the right thing. He also believes witnesses can help find the hit-and-run driver.
“I just want everybody to keep trying to find who did this,” Rob Trickler said.
Detectives found vehicle debris scattered along U.S. 2. They are looking for a bluish-green General Motors pickup truck with a canopy or an SUV. The likely model years are 1994 to 1999. The vehicle likely has damage to the passenger side, and the passenger-side head lamp may be missing. The vehicle also may be missing a passenger-side mirror and radio antenna.
Paint samples were sent to the state crime lab. Detectives still are waiting for results, hoping that will help narrow the search, trooper Keith Leary said.
“We have received several leads,” he said. “People are out there looking.”
Detectives also found a man’s class ring near Heather’s body — it was her dad’s. Rob Trickler now wears it on a chain around his neck.
Class ring. Wedding ring. Dog tags. The girl always was sneaking something of his to wear, her father said.
She liked to give close friends her family photos to keep. It was her way of showing her love, Rob Trickler said.
“There were no strangers to Heather, there were just friends she hadn’t met yet,” the girl’s grandmother Kathy Trickler said. “We’ve all been cheated out of watching her grow up.”
Heather’s friends shared bittersweet stories at her memorial service last week. Each one brought home to Rob Trickler how much his Sweetpea was loved.
At least two videos in Heather’s memory appeared on YouTube. One showed photos of the girl with her friends. The other, by someone who says they never met the girl, was a plea for clues in the case.
Memorial messages for the girl popped up on MySpace, a social networking site Heather often used. The family was touched.
Money is scarce in the family. Trickler may be an attorney, but his life is far from glamorous. He is trying to put together enough to bring Heather back to Colorado to be with the rest of her family.
Heather loved her mom and little sister, who live in Texas, Trickler said.
The couple separated when the girl was 1. Rob Trickler raised Heather and her two older brothers.
Someone put up a handmade sign at the construction site near where Heather was killed. Westbound drivers can see it on the left-hand side, a stark reminder of the young girl’s death. The pink letters read, “Who Killed Heather?”
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452, kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
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