Two Years After the Hit and Run Deaths of Faith Tsarnas and Kiya Kitchen, Community Members Gather to Pray for Healing and Justice
Yesterday evening on the anniversary of the hit and run collision that left two teenage girls dead, about 100 people walked through Fortuna stopping and praying along the way. As the sun set, they gathered at the Park and Ride at the corner of Kenmar Road and Eel River Drive near where Faith Tsarnas and Kiya Kitchen who had been skateboarding were struck by a vehicle that sped off in the gathering dusk. The mother of Kiya Kitchen was later arrested and charged with their deaths.
Pastor Michael Delamarian III of the Hydesville Community Church attended by family members of the two girls conceived of the gathering. Many at the Remembrance Walk carried prayer cards that spoke of healing for the community, asked for “no further delays in the court proceedings” and asked for justice.”
Members of the prayer walk had a moment of silence before people prayed aloud and spoke.Several of those gathered shared that their faith was helping them and, hopefully, the community to heal.
Some also said that they had faith that justice would be served and that it was needed.
One attendee, Kathi Meskill, said the event was about coming together as a community. She explained, “I believe that the healing begins with the caring…People come together and they connect and the connection starts the healing.”
Pastor Delamarian urged everyone to hug three others. As people reached out and held one another, they passed on the sense of connection and caring.
A tearful Sharron Grover after the event told reporters that the gathering was “a wonderful remembrance.”
Grover, a friend of the Tsarnas family, said that Faith’s parents, “Mark and Stephanie want people to remember the girls and the joy that they brought to our lives and focus on that. Yes, they want justice but they’ll never get their girls back.”
Links to earlier stories:
- Hit and Run: Child Injured in Fortuna
- Two Teenage Girls Killed by Hit and Run Driver
- Witness May Have Seen Vehicle Fleeing Last Night’s Fatal Hit and Run
- Vehicle Involved in Hit and Run Death of Teens Found Near Home of Mother of One of the Teens
- CHP Confirms They’ve Recovered Vehicle Involved in Fatal Hit and Run at One of the Victim’s Residences
- Driver of Vehicle in Tuesday’s Hit and Run Has Contacted Law Enforcement
- A Candlelight Vigil for the Two Young Girls Tragically Killed in a Hit and Run Accident
- Grief Counseling Offered at Fortuna Middle School
- Good Progress’ Learning About Death of Fortuna Teens, Says CHP Spokesperson
- 911 Call Reporting the Hit and Run Which Left Two Girls Dead Last Week; Warning, This Is Graphic Audio
- CHP Asks For Help Finding Two Suspected in Hit and Run Deaths of Two Teenagers
- Suspect’s Attorneys Refute CHP’s Press Release
- Kiya Suzanne Kitchen: Full of Life and Love
- Friends Rally Round Joe Kitchen Whose Daughter Died in Fortuna Hit and Run Accident
- Marci Kitchen Arrested and Made Bail
- Sheriff’s Office Releases Booking Photo and Charges Against Marci Kitchen
- Woman Accused of Killing Her Daughter and Her Daughter’s Friend in DUI Collision Files Claim Against Fortuna for Damages
- Father and Brother of Victim of Fortuna Hit and Run Drop Claim Against City, etc.
- After Surrendering Passport on Monday, Marci Kitchen Approved to Leave State
- ‘Enough’s Enough,’ Joe Kitchen Calls for Community to Pack Courtroom Tomorrow
- A Prayer Walk in Remembrance at the Two Year Anniversary of the Collision Which Killed Faith Tsarnas and Kiya Kitchen
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I’ll bet the woman who caused this to happen, in the first place, was nowhere to be found at least if she has ANY common sense she wasn’t!!!
Common sense? No, she has none of that. If she did, the loved ones and community in general wouldn’t be in this predicament… Not to mention to you ladies would still be spreading their joy, instead of their memory….
Agreed sadly, I wish, that it never happened in the first place, but much to many’s very great dismay it did!!! I just hope there is some justice in this finally sometime soon!!! This court date dodging of the “Suspect” has gone on waay too long!!!
With all the suffering and cries from the families and community, I just hope justice is served. This has taken way to long it’s shameful. After all this time, I hurt for these families, enough already. I’m surprised this hasn’t hit the news outside this county. The country should see the injustice that has left families and the community shaken.
Actually, Ezra, it has. Kym has a rather large following here in Wisconsin (many of us grew up in NorCal). We are saddened and stunned. This court case would NEVER have taken this long here. Then again, she would never have been allowed out to travel and blow through her money so that she can rely on the taxpayers to shoulder her defense.
Love, peace and prayers to all.
This is what is wrong with our Judicial system. After a terrible and horrible death(s) like this, the system just seems to go into limbo and I think at times, they do this for a reason in hopes that people will forget about it and it fades away for awhile and than when the trial comes along, the final sentence turns out to be very minimal and very fairly UNJUST. The Judicial System needs to step up and get these done a lot faster and the Criminal (if convicted) put away for a very long time. I also think that if a person is drunk when the accident? happens, they should get a AUTOMATIC 20 years added on to whatever other sentence that they might receive. MY OPINION ONLY AS IT WON’T CHANGE THE WAY THEY HANDLE JUSTICE ANYMORE HERE IN HUMBOLDT COUNTY.
if she were poor, she’d be in jail. ask oj.
Time for “Kitchen the Killer” to be put away for life! Waiting for two years to get her sentenced makes me sick. Our justice system in this county really sucks. Get off your butts and start the show PLEASE.
Justice is like gravity, you cannot see it, but it is unavoidable.
Ha. There have been many representatives of evil who died in their own beds of self satisfied old age. Of course many religions take this idea on as the oft found God’s judgement after death but in life, justice needs perspicacity, patience, diligence and a willingness to live with imperfection.
Why hasn’t the national news picked this story up? Maybe with pressure from the nation, the courts will finally take action!
Because no one has emailed National Geographic or the Discovery Networks the tip yet. Also try the Canadian Broadcasting Company.
Just another example of how money for a good attorney, judges/DA’s who are criminal sympathetic and manipulation of our justice system can benefit criminals with disregard for the victims. It happens everywhere, but Humboldt judges/DA seem to blatantly make decisions benefitting criminals. Whether it’s letting 4 time repeat heroin dealers out on OR time and time again to sell drugs, reducing grand theft auto (twice in one day) to a possession of stolen property and the ridiculous postponements of this trial; everyone is tired of people not being held responsible for their crimes. Listening to the excuses of ‘Our jails are too full” and “Our DA’s office doesn’t have the staff to handle the load” are getting old and need to be fixed.
Mummy will get the pass, same as it always was.
I would think she is in her own open air prison .cant go out in public has probably no one to turn to and has to live with what she has done..