Mother distraught when her family of four are killed after teenage daughter falls asleep at the wheel
A family of four has been found dead in Idaho after their 17-year-old daughter fell asleep behind the wheel of their car and drove off a cliff into the Salmon River.
Calvin “CJ” Miller, 36, decided to take his three children from their home in Spokane, Washington, to visit his ailing father, who is hospiced in Council, Idaho.
The four set off for a 175-mile journey south.
By the time they reached Riggins, Idaho – 60 miles north of their destination – Miller’s teenage daughter Dakota was behind the wheel, with his two youngest, Jack, 10, and eight-year-old Delilah, in the back.
Police said Dakota fell asleep on a winding road on Saturday and the vehicle fell off a cliff and fell 30 feet into a river.
Calvin Miller, 36, was killed Saturday on his way to visit his father in Council, Idaho: his daughter Dakota, 17 (right), was behind the wheel
Delilah Miller, eight, and 10-year-old Jack Miller (right) are pictured with their four-year-old brother Barrett. Delilah and Jack were found dead in a car accident in Idaho on Saturday
The family was killed Saturday north of Riggins, Idaho – 155 miles north of Boise
A fisherman found his car partially submerged in the river.
“Dakota drove off the highway and collided with a large pile of rocks, sending the vehicle into the air,” the accident report said.
“The vehicle hit another large pile of rocks, causing the vehicle to flip over and end up upside down in the Salmon River.”
Deputies believe the vehicle filled with water through a broken window, drowning the family, the report said.
Zella Blair, Miller’s ex and Jack and Delilah’s mother, said the kids were “my whole life.”
“I don’t know if I can get used to not coming through the door after school and yelling at me again,” she said. KREM 2 News.
‘They were huge. They were my whole life.’
Zella Blair, Jack and Delilah’s mother, said she was devastated by the loss
Delilah, eight; Barrett, four; and 10-year-old Jack are pictured with their mother Zella Blair
Blair said she dropped the couple off at their father’s house on Friday afternoon as usual, but was unaware that Miller was planning to take the three children to his father’s Idaho.
Miller’s friend Amberlynn told her what happened.
“I just fell to my knees,” Blair said.
‘I just started crying. I could not believe it.’
Blair said her heart goes out to Amberlynn, who was a loving stepmother.
“However, I feel very sorry for Amber because she lost all four people in her household,” Blair said.
“Even if they weren’t, they weren’t her blood children. She was always very good to them. Calvin and Amber were always great.’
Calvin Miller is pictured with his girlfriend, Amberlynn. She wasn’t in the car that crashed
Scott Henri, Amberlynn’s stepfather, praised Miller as “a truly exceptional human being.”
“His kind heart and sensitive soul, not to mention his wonderful sense of humor, brought a richness to our lives that cannot be replaced,” said Henri.
“He had found his soulmate in Amberlynn, he loved her dearly and all his children and family.”
Henri said Dakota had “a generous and caring heart” and looked forward to her life after high school.
He continued, “Jack just turned 10 and was so proud to be in the double digits. He was so smart, loved to read, could think of anything and would turn the world upside down.
“Our dear Delilah, Calvin’s youngest daughter, would have turned nine in August.
“She was so creative, loved to draw and color and had talent.”
He said she was “funny and sweet and always made sure everyone was taken care of.”
Blair said she struggled to cope with the loss of her two eldest children.
She said Jack and Delilah were incredible older siblings to their younger brother, Barrett, Blair’s four-year-old son from another relationship.
“I’m going to miss so much just being able to just give them a hug and a kiss and talk to them about their day,” Blair said.
And just little conversations because it just filled my heart.
“You know, just to hear all the little things they were learning and all they were becoming, day after day.”
Blair’s fiancé, Taylor Schaefer-Bishop, said Jack and Delilah raised him as a man.
Taylor Schaefer-Bishop, Zella Blair’s fiancée, said her children Jack and Delilah taught him how to be a father
“I really had to be the foundation for her,” he said.
“Before I met them, I wasn’t a father. I had no experience as a father.
“They really inspired me to be the man I am today, to be in those shoes and to become a father figure.”
He said he will miss learning new skills.
“Just a month ago I was teaching the kids to swim,” said Schaefer-Bishop.
“I taught Jack to split firewood. I mean, Jack and Delilah, we’ve all been gardening for the past few months.
“We spent a lot of time doing backyard gardening and just a lot of landscaping and you know, picking mushrooms and I taught them how to shoot guns.”