GOP Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) is grieving the loss of his niece, Anne Marie Gieske, who was one of more than 150 people killed in a crowd surge during Halloween festivities in the South Korean capital of Seoul, the congressman’s office said in a statement on Monday.
Gieske was a junior at the University of Kentucky and was studying abroad in Seoul at the time of the tragedy.
“Monica and I, and our entire family, are grieving the loss of our niece Anne Marie Gieske. She was a gift from God to our family. We loved her so much,” Wenstrup said in a statement.
AT LEAST 149 KILLED, 150 WOUNDED IN STAMPEDE DURING SEOUL HALLOWEEN CELEBRATIONS
The congressman’s office also released a statement from her parents, Dan and Madonna, mourning their loss and requesting privacy and prayers.
“We are completely devastated and heartbroken over the loss of Anne Marie. She was a bright light loved by all. We ask for your prayers but also the respect of our privacy,” they said.
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“Anne’s final gift to us was dying in the state of sanctifying grace. We know we will one day be reunited with her in God’s kingdom,” they added.
South Korean police said they have launched a 475-member task force to investigate the incident, which left more than 100 people injured.
