On November 9th, my stepmother was found dead in her home. A welfare check had been initiated after she missed two days of work and did not answer her phone. She was 62, healthy, happy and vibrant. She worked for the local school district and was a very involved grandmother. At this time, it is considered a "suspicious death" and her children painfully wait for the Medical Examiner findings before a murder/homicide charge can move forward. Her two adult children that she leaves behind are my half-siblings, both married with young children. My half-sister Kali lives with her husband, her daughter who is in kindergarten, and her son who is 3 years old. She is a Social Worker at an alternative high school and bought her first home this year, near her mother's home. My half-brother Daniel was living in Japan with his wife and two daughters, 5 years old and 11 months old, when he got this news. He is a Marine and works as a Network Engineering Officer, with Squadron 18. He flew home to Oregon and is taking time off to be present for his sister and extended family, including his grandparents, who, devastatingly, survived his mother. This Social Worker and Marine lost both of their parents to violence - their father (our father) to suicide in 1996 and now their mother to homicide. While we know who the person of interest is in the killing of Terri Hethorn, we cannot discuss it publicly because the legal system is working to bring her murderer to justice. This is the kind of thing that reminds a lot of us of things we'd see on TV. I am still in shock that this has happened to our family. My half-siblings, Kali and Daniel, are reeling from the loss of their mother, and while I can't do a lot for them from here in Los Angeles, I wanted to open this up to the community. If you are looking for a way to support a family in need this holiday season, please consider my family - my younger brother and sister, along with their devastated spouses and very young kids who do not understand why they cannot see their grandmother again. I am asking, on their behalf, for anything to ease the burdens on them during this holiday season. The request for gift cards here is so that they will not have to worry about shopping for groceries, gifts for the kids at Christmas, dinners/deliveries, etc., while they're going through this difficult time. Feel free to reach out directly to me if you have other thoughts or suggestions: cadenchernoff@gmail.com. I chose this site intentionally to ask for help because it does not charge any fees for the donations made. Thank you for considering these co-victims and their families in your holiday giving. Thank you so very much!