OLYMPIA, Wash. — A crash caused by a wrong-way driver on Interstate 5 Friday night took the lives of 31-year-old Samantha Denney and her 2-year-old son, Adonis Miller. The crash also critically injured Denney's 8-year-old daughter.
On Sunday, however, KING 5 learned that there was another victim in that crash that went unreported.
"We were getting ready to have another kid," said Kameron Miller, Denney's boyfriend of more than three years.
Denney was pregnant, and Miller is now faced with the devastation of losing his girlfriend, son, and unborn child in the crash.
"We were getting ready to have our first ultrasound on the 14th of this month," said Miller. "It's just- it hurts... you don't know what to feel.”
The Washington State Patrol said the 27-year-old suspect was not injured, but he is in custody and will face vehicular homicide and vehicular assault charges, as well as a DUI charge.
"Samantha was my real ride-or-die, I’ll tell you that," said Miller.
Miller visited Denney's daughter Scarlett in the hospital on Sunday. She is not his biological daughter, but he said he cares for her just the same.
"It's not a good feeling knowing that you're supposed to be there to protect people, you weren't there, and then you see your little girl like that, it's just..." said Miller. "Not something anybody should have to deal with."
He told KING 5 that he is devastated to lose his son. He described Adonis as, "always curious about everything."
"Always was wanting to play outside, do what dad does,” Denney said.
Denney attended Pe Ell High School. A group of longtime friends of Denney's from childhood gathered to share memories of her with KING 5 on Sunday evening.
"She was that mom of the year, always," said Cara Ebeling, a friend.
Another longtime friend, Mandy Williams, added, "Honestly I've never felt, like physical heartbreak until yesterday.”
Her friends said they admired how outspoken and confident she was.
"Right out of high school, she saved me from getting beat up," said Janelle Ellson, a friend.
Ebeling added, "She was a big sister, a mother figure.”
Longtime friend Derek Chipman said Denney always made time for the people she cared about, and she even made time to check up on him while he served in the military in Afghanistan.
"She still got a hold of me then, too, making sure I was staying out of trouble," said Chipman.
Williams added, "She cared about everybody, and didn't let anybody get mistreated.”
Friends like these are now left to sort through feelings of shock and anger.
Heading into the holiday season, two friends mentioned an important message they would like to get across: "Don't drink and drive.”
She said Denney's eight-year-old daughter is expected to survive.
She continued, "They have a tribe. You know? I want to say that to Kameron. And to anyone that I might not have kept in touch with... We just-- we loved her."
That tribe has since come together to try and raise money for funeral expenses, on a GoFundMe page created by a friend.