I Followed The Yellow Brick Road

Well let me clarify. It is not a murderous week but rather this is the week I am going to write about the close encounters we have had with murder. Ok, Ok, Ok, so let me further clarify we were never in harms way or connected to these murders.

As a child my parents thought they were doing best for us young ones by never taking us to funerals. I guess I get it, but unfortunately it does not make for the healthiest adult when it comes to dealing with death. The first funeral I ever went to wasn’t until 1986 for the wife of one of Sweeties coworkers. It was a memorial service and one of the most disturbing deaths. But then most mysterious deaths are disturbing. I have always been a fan of reading true crime. I remember as a teenager I was excited to get the Sunday paper because the back few pages featured a true crime story. While I have always been a true crime buff, I think this is what started our joint interest in dissecting true crime mysteries even to this day.

Helen “Wendy” LaRoche was just 21 years old, newly married, and beginning college classes when she was murdered while working the night shift at a convenience store in Port Richey. On the evening of June 29, 1986, Wendy was working alone at the Gas ‘N’ Save. The store has since been demolished, and a Home Depot and 7-Eleven now stand in its place.

Earlier that night, Wendy’s husband, Dave LaRoche, stopped by the store to switch vehicles with her. He remained for approximately 10 to 15 minutes and said everything appeared normal when he left. Investigators believe Wendy was killed just minutes later. She was shot multiple times and later discovered deceased in a back room of the store by a customer.

Wendy and Dave met while attending Hudson High School, worked together at K-Mart, shared many of the same friends, and married shortly after graduating. Those close to her described Wendy as fun-loving with a strong sense of humor and a full life ahead of her.

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office continues to classify Wendy LaRoche’s death as an unsolved homicide. Detectives have stated the case has never been closed, and they continue to seek information that could bring answers to her family.

This was a Sunday night. we were on our way home from a family dinner in Clearwater. We actually passed the crime scene with our two little ones in the back seat. Not realizing that the crime scene we saw out our car windows was going to hit so close to home and would play over and over in our minds for the years to come.