Family Loses Their Daughter Again to Columbine Shooting, 26 Years Later

Sue Townsend holds hands with Anne Marie Hochhalter during a vigil on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre. Image credit: Kevin Mohatt/Reuters

Anne Marie Hochhalter was a student of Columbine High School when a shooting occurred. It happened on April 20, 1999, when two students opened fire and killed 13 students and wounded 23 before taking their own lives. She became partially paralyzed from two gunshot wounds and had to use a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

At the Bruce Springsteen benefit concert in Denver for Columbine High School, she met Sue and Rick Townsend, who lost their daughter to the shooting. They began to form a close-knit bond and frequently spent time with each other during birthdays, holidays, family dinners, and vacations. “She became part of our family,” said Sue, who was Lauren’s stepmother.

The Towsends asked authorities to do a welfare check on Annie Marie in February as she didn’t respond to their texts or calls. Police found the 42-year-old dead in her home in Westminster, Colorado. Health experts found out she died from sepsis, and complications from her paralysis were a significant contributing factor in her death. “The manner of death is best classified as homicide,” the autopsy report said.

Sue Townsend said she didn’t see Anne Marie as a replacement for Lauren, but Anne helped her heal from the grief and sadness from the shooting. Though the two young girls did not know each other in high school, they gave great comfort to the Townsends. They hope sharing their story with Anne Marie can help bring awareness to chronic conditions and encourage kindness.