Community Corner

Open Letter from Couple Who Found Cathy Qiu

The couple who found Albany High School senior Cathy Qiu's body washed ashore at San Gregorio State Beach last week wrote a letter to Qiu's family and friends and to Patch readers following the story.

It was by chance that a couple from Capitola walking the remote shoreline of San Gregorio State Beach in San Mateo County on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 21, came upon the body of an  Albany High School teen missing since Sept. 27, 2012.

It was an Albany High School student who later identified the girl as Cathy Qiu, a fellow classmate, after seeing a report of the washed up body on television. Qiu, a 16-year-old Albany High School senior, was best known for being highly intelligent, playful and always with a tennis racket.

The couple who called 9-1-1 upon finding Qiu does not want to relive their experience out of respect for Qiu and her family. Instead, they offer Qiu’s family and friends a peaceful and poignant vision of her by writing this letter to all of Qiu’s loved ones and to the Patch readers following this story:

Find out what's happening in El Cerritowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

To the Family and Friends of Cathy Qiu and to the Readers,

We are the couple who found your daughter/grand daughter/niece/cousin/friend near San Gregorio State Beach. We are so tremendously sorry for your loss. It’s important that you know that she guided us there to find her. She wanted to be found and to be reunited with you all. The ocean gave her a small window of time to be found and the unexpected circumstances of our day put us right there at the right moment. We feel a great deal of love for her, and for you all. To everyone who reads this, please respect your life and hang on to every special moment you have. Hug your children … hold them tight and keep them safe.

Find out what's happening in El Cerritowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

— Vernon and Dyanna


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