Grieving family looks for answers after death

ACCIDENT CLAIMS DAUGHTER

By Andrea L. Buchanan ~ Southeast Missourian

Every day since Feb. 3, the head count in the McGill household has been one short.

Even with a 4-year-old in the home, James and Sheila McGill's house on Janet Drive has been unnaturally quiet since the sudden death of their daughter, Kaelyn, in a car accident.

Without their oldest daughter, a once-hectic schedule that revolved around dance lessons, gymnastics and Girl Scouts has slowed to a crawl.

And until he knows what caused the crash that killed his daughter Kaelyn, James McGill said he can't move on.

He may get some answers next week.

The Cape Girardeau County Child Fatality Review Panel meets Tuesday to discuss the fatal crash, said county prosecutor Morley Swingle.

The 21-member panel consists of representatives from a wide range of professions. In addition to the prosecuting attorney and police, the coroner, doctors, nurses and investigators all participate.

The group meets in the case of any unexplained death of someone under 18.

Swingle said the panel will examine copies of reports from Jackson police, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Southeast Missouri Regional Crime Lab and the county coroner as well as any other evidence gathered in the case.

The meeting is not open to the public. Once the panel draws a conclusion, it issues a recommendation.

Sometimes that takes the form of criminal charges, Swingle said. Other times the panel issues a warning about public health hazards brought to light by a child's death. Sometimes all they can do is issue a letter of condolence.

The reports are sealed until the case is closed.

Father's frustration

McGill said he's been talking with officers, the prosecuting attorney's office and the coroner, and the results have been frustrating because he can't find any hard facts to explain Kaelyn's death.

In a quest to find answers, he's hired his own investigator to examine the cars involved.

"We just want to know why it happened," he said.

Swingle, himself a father of two girls, said he sympathizes with McGill. But he said he'd rather be accurate than rush to a conclusion.

According to information Jackson police have released, about 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 3, an eastbound car driven by Jennifer Golden, 19, of Cape Girardeau, swerved into the westbound lane of East Jackson Boulevard near Center Junction, causing a chain reaction that involved McGill's car and two others.

The first car struck was a four-door passenger vehicle driven by James McGill. Sheila McGill was in the passenger seat, 4-year-old Taylor was in a car seat behind her and Kaelyn was behind James. Golden's car hit theirs between the driver's door and the rear passenger door.

Everyone in the McGill car was wearing seat belts.

"I'm really safety conscious," Sheila said. "It drove them crazy."

Between the two girls was a stack of several boxed pizzas the family was contributing to a Super Bowl party.

The mother remembers how each girl had a hand on the boxes to keep them from sliding.

Sheila McGill said she looked over after the crash and saw James was unconscious. She turned around and little Taylor was crying behind her with blood on her shirt and chin. Later she learned the girl had bitten her tongue almost in two.

Beside Taylor, Kaelyn seemed unmarked but was unconscious and silent. A few days later, she was buried.

Family, friends and complete strangers stood in line for hours to pay respects. Their home, once a haven only for silk flowers, is now a like a greenhouse, filled with plants offered in sympathy.

Despite their attempts to explain death to Taylor, she still asks where her "Sissy" is and if she's coming home.

What the McGills say they know of the investigation is bits and pieces, leaving them with more questions than answers. They endlessly go over the details leading up to the crash.

James McGill has regrets because he spent most of the weekend in Kansas City for a sign meeting -- he designs them for a living -- instead of with his family.

He regrets driving the car to the party instead of the van, saying he thinks Kaelyn would have been safe in the larger vehicle.

But the nights are toughest, when the couple relives the accident, trying to force it away as the defining memory of Kaelyn.

Before bed, the McGills block the front door with a chair under the doorknob. They jump at little noises they never noticed before.

"Our sense of security is gone," James McGill said. "We've learned we're not invincible."

Weekly grief counseling is helping. As is the friendship and compassion provided by their family and church.

"I just want to get past the accident," the father said. "I can't do that until it's closed one way or another."

abuchanan@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160