Four children have suddenly become orphans after two separate, unrelated incidents. First, their mother was killed when the ice cave she was exploring collapsed. Six days later the father of these children was shot to death after a bar fight.
On July 6, Annalisa Santana was on an excursion of the Big Four Ice Caves north of Seattle, Washington, when part of the cave collapsed. She was killed by falling ice, and her fiancé, brother, and one of her children were injured.
Santana was no longer in a relationship with the children's father, Adrian Martinez Cardona, and he wasn't with them during the accident.
But less than a week later, Cardona got into a bar fight about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. He was asked to leave, and walked out to his car. It was there that he was shot multiple times.
These poor kids! The children, ages 1, 8, 12, and 14, had been in constant contact with their father since the death of their mother but he was unable to travel north to see them. He had just gotten out of jail, where he had served 24 days for violating his parole.
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Cardona has a long rap sheet including convictions for weapons possession, battery, and driving under the influence. Still, Rachelle Randle, a family friend, tells The Press Enterprise, Cardona "loved his kids."
As for Santana, there were signs outside the cave warning visitors that the caves were too dangerous to enter, people are pointing out on social media. But Randle tells The Press what's most important is that the children need prayers and support at this time -- not criticism of their parents. And she's absolutely correct! Have a little compassion, people. This is a terrible thing to happen to these kids.
The children are being cared for by family, thank goodness. They have started GoFundMe pages to help the Cardonas and Santanas pay for their funerals. We hope these four orphans are able to heal and move on from this terrible double tragedy.
Images via GoFundMe