Community

Vigil in Purdy honors seven neighbors killed in recent violence on Key Peninsula

About 30 community members gathered on a blustery Saturday afternoon in Purdy for a vigil in memory of seven of their neighbors killed in recent violence on the Key Peninsula.

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The vigil paid tribute to the four women killed in a stabbing in Wauna on Feb. 24; Jen Lantz, who died in a shooting in Vaughn in January; and Wendy Walker-Carnagey and Chad Malloy, killed in what prosecutors say was a domestic violence incident on Herron Island in December 2025.

Rachel Pittman, right, hands out items before a vigil on Saturday, March 7, in Purdy. Photo by Vince Dice

‘Lost to mental illness and addiction’

Speakers at the vigil on March 7 focused on the mental health aspect of the Wauna and Vaughn incidents. 

“The perpetrators of this violence were not random strangers,” said Dan Whitmarsh, a pastor at Lakebay Community Church and a mental health counselor with a practice in Gig Harbor, “but in two cases, beloved family members lost to mental illness and addiction. Which only adds to the grief.” 

Rachel Pittman, who helped to organize the vigil, told those in attendance that “hopefully, together, we can create a love that will overcome all the evil we’re seeing right now.” 

Dan Whitmarsh, a pastor at Lakebay Community Church and a mental health counselor, speaks during a vigil in Purdy on Saturday, March 7. Photo by Vince Dice

Impacts on community

Pittman said she has lost family members to violent crime and, like others, feels the effects of the recent violence on a personal level. “We all feel it” on the normally peaceful Key Peninsula, she said. “We all go back to our past life traumas.” 

Anne Nesbit, the public information officer for Key Peninsula Fire, said members of the department feel the loss acutely. In addition to being first responders, they are neighbors and friends of those lost. 

“Mental health matters at every level in our community,” Nesbit said. “If you are struggling, please reach out.” 

People who attended a vigil on March 7 in Purdy wrote condolence messages to people who lost family members during recent tragedies on the Key Peninsula. Photo by Vince Dice