The Last Night In The Life Of Kelly Amber DuPriest

What Happened?

Where did the innocence go?

It will be a week tomorrow night that my daughter was killed.

It is five days since I heard the news.

I googled her name the night after hearing of her death, to read online newspaper reports.

I have read those newspaper accounts over and over again. 

My husband had a very brief conversation with the coroner's office. I can remember hearing him ask if there was anything he should be asking -

He had a brief phone conversation with a detective from the Henderson Police Department. When the detective called he told my husband he was returning my husband's call ---

My husband had never called him--

When I google her name now

there are no new articles to read--

There is no more reading information to allow me

to piece together what exactly happened that night --

The reporters have moved on to other stories-

As the shock wears off,

questions have been coming to me--

But

I am not sure where to get the answers-

We were told there would be an inquiry and we would be invited-

That won't take place until the end of July 

or the beginning of August-

When we were told that, being in shock, we did not think to ask why so much time would elapse before the inquiry -

I am wondering

what even takes place at an inquiry-

Is that when we should ask our questions?

Will we be allowed to ask questions?

I am wondering if the car she drove to Henderson was a stolen vehicle -

Even high on drugs,

( I am wondering when we will get the autopsy report)

I am wondering why in the world she would have driven through the gates of a storage shed facility-

A newspaper account says there was a confrontation with the owner of the storage shed facility-

Was that person hurt at all?

Did that person see a gun?

Did that person call the police?

What time did this happen?

From there the papers say they ended up in the upscale

 gated community with a guard at the gate-

Did they drive through and if so how?

Was this guard involved in calling the police?

Or

Did they not have a car at this point -

Did they jump over a wall and then proceed to enter one of the homes in order to rob it?

Maybe the gate guard never even saw them enter the community-

An article says the owner of the house they were robbing

was notified by the security alarm system agency. It says the owner entered the house,

heard noise

and told them to get out of the house --

Where was the owner of the house that she/he was able to arrive while they were still in the house?

Did the alarm make noise?

Was the owner at the party across the street?

Had police arrived, at this point, or did the owner just enter the house alone?

Did Amber and partner run out a different door than where the home owner was or did they confront the home owner also?

I would have been terrified had I been the homeowner.

Will I be able to apologize for the fear my daughter inflicted?

From what can be pieced together,

they then stole a car from the party going on across the street-

That is when the person, with Amber , pointed a gun at the owner of the car and yelled at him to get out of the car --

I left out the expletive --

Was the owner of the car already in the car when Amber's partner jumped into the passenger side of the car?

Amber was the driver of the car -

Were there other party goers outside witnessing this theft?

Were the police there yet?

From what I can tell they ( Amber and other person ) were caught, in a vacant lot, where they were stuck in gravel,

 at a dead end-

Does this mean they were stuck because they had no where else to go?

Come to think of it, that is what it must mean, 

as if she backed up at them, at a fast rate of speed, 

she could not have been stuck in the gravel.

How far away is the empty lot from where the house was broken into and from where the car was stolen?

Was it in the same gated community ?

Were other homes close to where the end took place?

Did other homeowners witness the event?

There were six police officers on the scene. 

 All accounts report they pleaded with the pair to get out of the car for 45 minutes.

Did all six officers arrive at the same time 

or at different times?

Why would my husband have been told by the coroner's office the gun might have been a pellet gun?

I certainly would not know a pellet gun from a real gun.  

Were either pointed at me,

 both would pose a dangerous threat.

I am just curious as to why

the Coroner's office would not have known

 what kind of gun it was by the time my husband

 was spoken to?

The crimes and killing took place on Monday night. 

 The Coroner talked to my husband on Wednesday. 

As I said in my previous post, I learned it was Amber's partner that was in possession of the gun -

Had he fired it?

Either the detective or the Coroner's office ( I don't remember which ) told my husband Amber and her partner 

said they had explosives.

At what point did they tell the officers this?

Were explosives found?

Was the car surrounded?

Why were officers standing behind the car ?

I am wondering why, in the 45 minutes of pleading, the tires were not blown out ,on the vehicle, so it would not be able to move.

I am wondering why, in the last two years, when my daughter would be arrested locally in Arizona, time and time again,

 the judge would not incarcerate her-

time and time again

she would be let go-

we began to wonder why the police would even take the time to arrest her -

We knew it had to be as frustrating to them as it was to us --

I don't even remember, at last count, how many charges there were against her--

I believe all of her charges were transferred to Navajo County.

Since her killing, I have heard that a Pinetop/Lakeside police officer gave the Navajo County Sheriff's department information that Amber was in Silvercreek.

The story I have heard is-

 The Sheriff's department actually went to the house where Amber was located.

Amber, however, told them she was Maria 

and gave them Maria's social security number. 

While there they checked Maria's social security number, saw there were no warrants out for that person

 and told Amber she was right -- 

she had no warrants and they left.

When the police officer that had given the sheriff's department the information that Amber was in Silvercreek found out about Amber's con he let the sheriff's department know that Maria was NOT in Silvercreek --

Amber had conned them --

it was too late-

When they returned to the house,

Amber was gone ---

I am wondering

Why didn't they ask for a picture I.D.?

I am wondering

Do I have this story straight?

Could this have 

REALLY

happened?

If my questions have sounded accusatory,

I have not meant for them to sound such--

TRULY

I am just a mother,

wondering about the last night of her daughter's life, 

not sure  where, when, or how 

I will be able to get the answers,

 so I can move on,

 like the reporters have moved on.

And last, but not least --

I am wondering when was the last time she kissed her son,

for she will never kiss him again.

Our Broken Daughter - Kelly Amber DuPriest - 1971-2010

At first glance, 

it looks like a happy collection

 of Madame Alexander dolls.

 I started collecting these dolls,
 for Amber,

 shortly after she was born. 

I am not even sure, 

at last count, 

how many I had purchased over the years. 

 This box is one of the many

 that has been packed up 

since she left us---
for drugs.

At closer range, 

it becomes obvious 

that one of the dolls is broken.

 The head is detached from the body.

 All of the parts are there 

but they are not connected.

The doll is broken.

This seems to be the way it was

 for much of my daughter's life.

 She was broken.

 As hard as each of us tried to mend her brokenness, just like Humpty Dumpty, 

all the King's horses and all the King's men

 couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again 

 we could not find a way to put

 or give Amber the resources 

to put herself together ---

 As I write this,

 there are tears welling up in my eyes --

As my husband uttered to me last night,

 as he held me tightly in bed,

after sobs subsided from him,

"We did our best"

How does a mother write about her daughter's death?

I decided if I let too much time go by 

I would not know what to say --

Funny,

Even

now,

I 

don't 

really

know

what

to

say

Our family is not a family one would expect

 to see on the news,

 in such a detrimental setting--

Our family is not a family

 one would expect to see 

or hear the phrase-

Release of names are being withheld

 until notification of next of kin.

How many times we have heard this said

or how many times we have read those words---

Only This Time

those words pertained to us

not someone else-

Yesterday, I got a call from a Pinetop detective, 

with which we had worked over the past year and a half. 

In an unofficial capacity,

 he was contacting us,

 as a friend,

 with information he had just heard ----

About an hour and a half later

we were officially contacted

 by a Nevada Coroner's office---

Amber was dead---

I was very aware that I might receive such a call

 due to Amber's drug use-

What I expected though,

if I did get such a call,

was an overdose,

or at worse,

her death being from a drug dealer 

or someone else she had conned. 

I was not prepared

 for the call 

telling us she had been 

killed by police officers.

This took place on Monday evening.

If you google her name

Kelly Amber DuPriest

you will find several news articles 

about the event 

and her death.

From talking to the Coroner's office

 and then a detective 

from the Henderson Nevada

 police department

we know there will be an inquiry 

regarding her death.

We were also told the gun involved

 might have been a pellet gun.

If you search her name, as I mentioned above,

you will also find two of my earlier posts,

one written on Sunday, November 8,2009 titled,

 Who, What, When, Where, Why

and one written on Monday, February 23rd, 2009, titled Happy 38th Birthday, Amber.

I had a comment,this morning,

on one of the posts,

 from the brother of one of the people

 from which Amber and the other person,

 stole a car. 

It was a kind comment, 

letting me know Amber, 

and the person with her,

 appeared to be high on drugs. 

He let me know Amber was not the one carrying the gun.

He let me know he had sympathy for my family.

His sympathy touched me.

My family and friends are in shock.

Just as I had to tell Amber 34 years ago, that her birth father had died 

( suicide )

yesterday,

 I had to tell her own son,Chandler,

his mother was dead.

Tonight, my dear husband,

 has the task of telling my elderly father, 

his troubled granddaughter is dead.

We did not want to tell him over the phone.

I am sure other friends,

 reading this

 will also be in shock.

 I apologize for not contacting 

each of you in person.

 I just don't have the energy.

Amber suffered all of her life 

with mental issues.

  

My family has never been considered a 

 BAD family.

We would,I believe,in general, be described as a typical American family, wanting the best

 out of life 

for our loved ones

 and others.

We tend to be

 kind, caring, compassionate,

 law abiding citizens,

who are supportive 

of law enforcement

and we are in shock --

 Despite our efforts,

 in each and every way possible,

from her early years on, 

to somehow help our daughter,

our efforts failed.

She was a little girl that was loved.

She was our daughter that was loved.

She was a granddaughter that was loved.

She was a mother that was loved.

She was a friend that was loved.

Despite the love,

Despite the efforts,

 She was a person who chose

 a self destructive path of drug use,

 leading to addiction,

 leading to crime,

leading to death,

leading to sorrow 

for us

and for others.

We wish it had been different

so different

BUT

we are GrAtEfUl

no other innocent person 

was hurt

in this last dramatic event 

of her life.

 

Kelly Amber DuPriest

February 23,1971

June 6,2010