Dear Family and Friends of Rissa:
We are writing this letter as an apology to Rissa for the reprehensible and disparaging media coverage concerning the circumstances of her death.
Based on the toxicology report our family received from the medical examiner, Rissa was not intoxicated at the time of her death, nor was irresponsible drinking by Rissa a factor in her death.
Rissa was walking across a road with two friends when a 17-year-old male driver hit two of the three pedestrians.
As a result Rissa was killed due to massive head and body trauma, and another young woman was severely injured. The investigation is still not complete and the police have not released any information that the family is aware of.
Why is the media speculating to implicate two young women for wrongdoing before the facts are known? It would be equally inappropriate for the media to speculate about the driver, though there’s been no such focus.
The media has continued to cite — and sometimes misrepresent — the initial report from a Mankato city official stating that alcohol “may have been involved.” Sadly the Mankato city official knew shortly after making his deceptive statement that alcohol was not a factor as far as Rissa was concerned. Some media have used unsubstantiated opinions posted on Facebook to mislead the public regarding the tragic incident leading to the death of our precious daughter.
A report on WCCO-TV (1/8/2008 video clip) was just one example. Rissa’s father called WCCO to inquire about the video clip and no one at the station could verify the source of their information. One person seemed to think Rissa’s death was funny, laughing about the situation.
Many newspapers, Minnesota Public Radio and TV news channels are not willing to wait for the facts, instead using opinion and incomplete assumptions to create the misconception that Rissa had been drinking irresponsibly.
Rissa’s two grade-school siblings have not only lost their beloved older sister but have had to answer questions like “was your sister lying in the road?” or, even worse, “was your sister drunk?”
These questions stem directly from irresponsible reporting.
Rissa was a smart, beautiful 22-year-old woman with a bright future that was extinguished Nov. 18, 2007. She would have graduated in May 2008 with plans for graduate school in the fall. Her life was just beginning, and her memory should not be tarnished by unfounded media accusations that are distributed across the nation.
We as Rissa’s family believe the news media and the Mankato city official should be ashamed of their behavior and feel that an apology is owed to Rissa, her family, Minnesota State University and the Greek community.
Please join us in the quest to make sure the circumstances regarding the death of Rissa Amen-Reif are reported factually.
Sincerely,
Family of Rissa Amen-Reif
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