CUMMING, Ga.,None — Kate Puzey's parents have endured a year of heartache. They lost their daughter under tremendously difficult circumstances, and felt they couldn't get the answers they needed about her death.
Family Of Slain Georgia Peace Corp Volunteer Speaks Out
Kate was the kind of daughter any family would be proud of: positive in spirit, a quiet leader (student council president twice), and a citizen of the world who wanted to affect change by helping people hand in hand. She chose the Peace Corps and committed to two years as an English teacher in the west African nation of Benin.
Her connection to her students was evident in the photographs her family shared with Channel 2 Action News reporter Linda Stouffer. Harry Puzey, her father, told Stouffer, "They loved her, and she loved them."
But two months before her homecoming, on March 11, 2009, she was killed.
WEB EXTRAS: Day of Service Pledge | Light A Candle Video | Kate's Blog From Benin
For the past year the Puzey's have struggled to understand the circumstances. They have also kept details quiet, out of tremendous respect for the Peace Corps and the legal process underway in Benin. However, now they are speaking out, to draw attention to her courage and life of service.
Lois Puzey said Kate believed several students had been sexually exploited by a local national employee. Kate apparently struggled with how best to handle the situation, then decided to anonymously report her suspicious. Lois told Stouffer, "The students and the teachers came to her and said can you help us here to try to do something, and in doing that, she put herself in harm's way. Within a few days of her anonymously trying to get the word out to the right authorities, she was murdered."
Kate's parents are just back from a whirlwind series of meetings in Washington, D.C. They are trying to be "Kate's voice" through a difficult process. They hope to see a conviction in local courts in Benin, but they also want the Peace Corps to be, in Lois' words: "The Peace Corps Kate believed in: one that's transparent, efficient and respects and protects and empowers their volunteers."
The Peace Corps would not provide details of the death of their volunteer. They told Stouffer in an e-mail "The investigation into the death of Kate Puzey is ongoing. The Department of State, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Beninese government are collaborating on this investigation."
Kate's parents believe several men are in custody, including the man she anonymously accused. Lois Puzey plans to attend the trial in Benin, which she thinks will take place in November.
In the meantime, Kate's friends and family are circulating loving tributes… through YouTube and Facebook. Several hundred people have committed to a day of service in her honor.
"She was an absolute joy for us from the day she was born until the day she died. I called her my sunshine girl," Lois Puzey said.
WSBTV
