Alicia Hayes hosted her usual large family dinner on Friday at her New Orleans East home.
As the gathering transitioned from Friday night to Saturday morning, her daughter, Michelle; son-in-law Carlos Lee; and 4-year-old granddaughter Car-Shelle prepared to go home.
Hayes said her goodbyes and told them to be careful on the short drive, which took maybe 15 minutes. She woke up Saturday to learn that a car went into a canal not too far away, near Morrison and Gannon roads.
Hayes said a prayer for the family of those inside.
“I said, ‘Lord give the family strength to deal with this.’”
And she went about her day. Later, she called her daughter but got no answer. She tried again a few times. Still, nothing.
Worry set in. Hayes sent a relative to the home her daughter and Lee shared. No one was there.
She and the family quickly came to a grim realization: It might have been their loved ones in that car pulled from the canal.
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By Monday morning, a grueling 48 hours later, Hayes and Lee’s family made positive identifications at the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office.
The investigation remains ongoing, authorities said.
Hayes held tight to a folder from Heritage Funeral Directors outside of her home Monday. She now has the grim task of planning not just one funeral but three.
She remembers her daughter as someone who loved to joke and laugh; her son-in-law as more serious, but devoted to his wife and four kids; and her 4-year-old granddaughter as outgoing and precocious.
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