News / Clark County News

Family, school mourn ‘awesome little girl’

Cadence Boyer was hit by car while trick-or-treating

By Paris Achen

Published: November 4, 2014, 12:00am

A roadside memorial along Northeast 112th Avenue in east Vancouver is seen on Sunday in the spot where four trick-or-treaters were struck by a car Friday evening. One of the victims in the crash, 7-year-old Cadence Boyer, died Sunday.

Grief counselors also were at Mountain View High School on Monday after two students died in a high-speed car crash Friday night. William W. McCulloch, 17, was driving an Acura Integra and Shaun M. Hvass, 18, was in the passenger seat. Around 9:45 p.m., the car crashed into a traffic pole on the west side of Northeast 136th Avenue and Fourth Street, with enough force to tear the car in two.

When police officers arrived, both teens were dead, according to the Vancouver Police Department.

The Clark County Medical Examiner determined that Hvass and McCulloch both died of multiple blunt force injuries. Their deaths were ruled accidental.

On Monday, Mountain View Principal Matt Johnson emailed a letter to parents of the school’s students to let them know about the teens’ deaths and the presence of grief counselors at the school.

It was similar to the protocol followed at Orchards Elementary School in regards to the death of 7-year-old Cadence Boyer.

“We’re supporting our staff at both schools. This is traumatic for students and staff,” said Gail Spolar, spokeswoman for Evergreen Public Schools. “The counselors will be available for as long as they’re needed.”

— Emily Gillespie and Patty Hastings

Grief counselors were at Orchards Elementary School on Monday after a second-grader who attended the school died of injuries sustained when she was struck by a car along with three other pedestrians on Halloween night.

Cadence Boyer, 7, was walking with her mom, Annie Arnold, 32, 30-year-old Chelina Alsteen and an unidentified 6-year-old girl on a sidewalk along Northeast 112th Avenue in east Vancouver when they were struck by a Ford Mustang at about 8:20 p.m. The girls were out trick-or-treating.

All four were rushed to area hospitals. Cadence Boyer died Sunday at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland. Her autopsy is scheduled for today.

Her family described Cadence Boyer as a smart little girl who loved math class, had just graduated from swim class and was excited to wear her pink Batgirl costume on Halloween.

“She was an awesome little girl,” the girl’s grandmother, Cathy Boyer, said. “She was the apple of my eye.”

The girl’s uncle, Kenny Boyer, said that while in the hospital, his niece was on life-support machines.

“Basically, she was gone right when the car hit her,” he said. “I’m glad she doesn’t have to go through pain anymore.”

The 6-year-old girl, whose parents asked that her name not be released, is a first-grader at Orchards Elementary, according to Gail Spolar, spokeswoman for Evergreen Public Schools. The girl was in serious condition at a local hospital but was showing signs of improvement, the school said in a letter sent home to parents.

“We have informed students and are making every effort to help them cope with this sad news,” Principal Elizabeth Brawley wrote in the letter. “Please help your child through this difficult time and let us know if they need any additional support.”

Arnold, Cadence Boyer’s mother, was listed in fair condition Monday at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. Alsteen remained in critical condition at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center.

An online GoFundMe account has been set up to raise money for Arnold and Cadence Boyer’s medical bills and for funeral costs. In two days, more than 100 people contributed more than $9,500 through the Web page, gofundme.com/Boyer1.

“I can’t believe how generous people are,” Kenny Boyer said. “One person said they were on (Social Security benefits), didn’t have much money, but still donated $26. It’s outrageous.”

An account was also set up for Alsteen at gofundme.com/goxroc.

Police said the driver of the mustang, Duane Abbott, 47, was taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center. He remained at the hospital until Monday afternoon, when he was taken into custody and transported to the Clark County Jail. He was booked on a count of vehicular homicide and four counts of vehicular assault, the jail said. The vehicular homicide charge was added after Cadence Boyer’s death.

Police are awaiting the results of a toxicology test to determine if Abbot was impaired at the time of the crash. Police said they suspect intoxicated driving and speed were a factor in the incident.

Cathy Boyer said she is livid with Abbott.

“He just took a part of my heart that I can never get back,” she said. “He ripped it out of my chest and stomped on it. … My son and his wife, they’re lost without their little girl.”

Kenny Boyer said that his family is planning to have a candlelight vigil for Cadence Boyer this week or this weekend. The girl was the 35th person to die in a Clark County vehicle crash so far this year.

Police: Man who drove through scene arrested

Meanwhile, a Vancouver man accused of crashing through a police barricade while law enforcement investigated the collision that killed Cadence Boyer appeared in Clark County Superior Court on Monday on suspicion of multiple charges.

Timothy E. Woodward, 29, is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 14 on charges of second-degree assault, third-degree assault, attempting to elude police, reckless endangerment and driving under the influence.

Multiple Vancouver police officers and at least one tow truck operator were inside the barricade when Woodward struck it at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday, according to a news release from the Vancouver Police Department. The vehicle nearly hit the officers in the roadway, an officer stationed in a vehicle at the barricade and a tow truck operator.

Vancouver police Officer Jim White pursued Woodward as Woodward fled in his vehicle, according to a court affidavit. The pursuit continued westbound on state Highway 500 and onto northbound Interstate 205, where the driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a guard rail on the right side of the freeway near Padden Parkway.

White said he ordered Woodward out of his vehicle at gunpoint. Woodward then emerged from his vehicle, took off his boot and a beanie cap and threw them at the officer, White wrote in an affidavit.

He “ran towards me screaming with his fists in the air,” White wrote. Another officer had to use a stun gun to subdue Woodward and take him into custody, according to the affidavit.

Court papers say that Woodward is a delivery driver for Papa John’s Pizza. It’s unclear whether he was working at the time of the crash, said Vancouver police spokeswoman Kim Kapp.

When police officers arrived, both teens were dead, according to the Vancouver Police Department.

The Clark County Medical Examiner determined that Hvass and McCulloch both died of multiple blunt force injuries. Their deaths were ruled accidental.

On Monday, Mountain View Principal Matt Johnson emailed a letter to parents of the school's students to let them know about the teens' deaths and the presence of grief counselors at the school.

It was similar to the protocol followed at Orchards Elementary School in regards to the death of 7-year-old Cadence Boyer.

"We're supporting our staff at both schools. This is traumatic for students and staff," said Gail Spolar, spokeswoman for Evergreen Public Schools. "The counselors will be available for as long as they're needed."

-- Emily Gillespie and Patty Hastings

Police: Man who drove through scene arrested

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