Daniel Varo,22(2006) & Lydia Varo,13 (2001) Murdered/OR
February 16, 2006 Two unsolved murders haunt a Beaverton family
PORTLAND, Ore. - It is the kind of tragedy anyone could hardly endure once, but now a Beaverton family has had to go through the pain of losing a loved one twice - two siblings murdered in separate incidents, less than five years apart.
The murder of 22-year-old Daniel Varo, who was one of three people slain in a Tacoma home last week, has shaken Deanne Bays.
Varo was her younger brother.
"He was my best friend and I loved him so much and I can't protect him now," she says. "That is the hardest part, you know. I keep picturing my little brother sitting at the computer, somebody he trusted, one of his friends, coming up and shooting him in the back of the head. I just… my heart breaks when I think about it because he was so trusting."
This is not the first time Bays has endured this kind of a loss. Her 13-year-old sister, Lydia, was found murdered four and a half years ago, her body dumped in the woods outside the small community of Mount Vernon where she had been kidnapped.
It was about the same time that authorities were investigating the murders of Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis in Oregon City.
"I knew what those families were going through because we were going through it too," Bays says.
Both her sister's killing and her brother's recent murder remain unsolved. Bays says she supports the death penalty if those responsible are ever found.
"They have my brother and my sister's blood on their hands for the rest of their lives and they're the ones who saw their dark, empty eyes staring back at them after they took their lives," she says. "It's just horrible."
Bays also has a message for the world.
"Just enjoy every minute that you have with the people you love," she says. "Don't take that time for granted because the next day they may not be there."
Because her brother was an avid car customizer, Bays is helping coordinate a memorial gathering at Portland International Raceway on Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. for those who knew her brother.
http://www.katu.com/news/story.asp?ID=83467
February 16, 2006 Two unsolved murders haunt a Beaverton family
PORTLAND, Ore. - It is the kind of tragedy anyone could hardly endure once, but now a Beaverton family has had to go through the pain of losing a loved one twice - two siblings murdered in separate incidents, less than five years apart.
The murder of 22-year-old Daniel Varo, who was one of three people slain in a Tacoma home last week, has shaken Deanne Bays.
Varo was her younger brother.
"He was my best friend and I loved him so much and I can't protect him now," she says. "That is the hardest part, you know. I keep picturing my little brother sitting at the computer, somebody he trusted, one of his friends, coming up and shooting him in the back of the head. I just… my heart breaks when I think about it because he was so trusting."
This is not the first time Bays has endured this kind of a loss. Her 13-year-old sister, Lydia, was found murdered four and a half years ago, her body dumped in the woods outside the small community of Mount Vernon where she had been kidnapped.
It was about the same time that authorities were investigating the murders of Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis in Oregon City.
"I knew what those families were going through because we were going through it too," Bays says.
Both her sister's killing and her brother's recent murder remain unsolved. Bays says she supports the death penalty if those responsible are ever found.
"They have my brother and my sister's blood on their hands for the rest of their lives and they're the ones who saw their dark, empty eyes staring back at them after they took their lives," she says. "It's just horrible."
Bays also has a message for the world.
"Just enjoy every minute that you have with the people you love," she says. "Don't take that time for granted because the next day they may not be there."
Because her brother was an avid car customizer, Bays is helping coordinate a memorial gathering at Portland International Raceway on Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. for those who knew her brother.
http://www.katu.com/news/story.asp?ID=83467