This woman felt like she had no choice, but to end her life and take her two daughters with her. As a community, we reach out to those who need help. Why did this family slip through the cracks? There are so many programs and entities that would have helped her and her children.

As a mother myself, it is hard to ask for help, but I also know that being in the community, there are other options for me and my children. It makes my heart and soul heavy to think that this woman felt she had no one and she had lost hope. She couldn’t have been alone in the community, friends, family, neighbors, and her children’s friends? Someone had to notice that things at home were not OK. It makes me sad that someone did not reach out to her, and help her to keep her from going down the path that she went down. I am not writing this letter to insult anyone, I am writing this in hopes that our community will start helping those who may need it, and put themselves out there to help a family like this.

I am writing this in hopes that someone would want to keep innocent lives out of danger.

Paige Washington

Durango