Parents Coping With Mysterious Death Of 12-Year-Old Daughter
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - A Maple Grove family is dealing with the tragic death of their 12-year-old girl.
Her parents still have no idea how Grace Heitzig died just over one week ago, and they may never find out.
Like little whispers, pops of her favorite color line the neighborhood streets--quiet reminders the girl her parents described as "energetic, vivacious, positive."
Heitzig's parents, Charlie and Katie, have no idea what happened. Their youngest daughter went to sleep last Monday and didn't wake up the next morning.
"I walked in and saw nothing on her bed," Katie Heitzig said, "and it was all rolled up like you roll up a carpet on the floor and I thought, 'That's odd.'"
Grace wasn't moving so they called 911.
"They did CPR for about an hour and then the doctor..." Charlie Heitzig said, his voice weighted down with emotion.
Medical experts don't know what led to Grace's death. These parents are facing the reality that they will likely never know.
"We are not trying to focus on 'what we could have done' or 'how it did happen' or 'why it happened' because that's not going to help us at all," Grace's mother said.
What they can control is how they live their lives moving forward.
"How can we now find her happiness in our life?" Katie Heitzig asked. "I totally believe, while this is so fresh and new right now, that we will find a new form of happiness."
Grace's 13th birthday would have been this Friday.
Her parents said her classmates will wear purple in her honor.
They said Grace had one seizure last summer but was otherwise healthy.
They don't know if the seizure was related to her death.