Family Clings To Memories 27 years After Hit-and-Run Killed 11-Year-Old
It’s been nearly three decades since Deidre Week was killed riding home on her bicycle near Vesper.
March 24, 2022
By Ben Helwig
VESPER, Wis. (WSAW) - On March 24, 1995, the unthinkable happened to the Week family. Eleven-year-old Deidre Week was riding home on her bicycle near the village of Vesper. She was hit and killed by a vehicle. To this day, the case remains open.
”Somebody knows something,” said Wood County Sheriff Shawn Becker. “Somebody’s living with this and should come forward and do the right thing and give this family some closure. They deserve it.”
The Wood County Sheriff’s Department put up a Facebook post on Thursday to remember that day 27 years ago. They’re still hoping to bring justice for the Week family.
“The only promise we can make as a team is that we’re going to continue to work on it,” said Becker. “We encourage people that know something, whatever it might be, whatever they might remember from that time frame, to let us know because you never know what lead might go somewhere.”
For the family, they ensure Deidre’s memory lives on in their daily lives.
“It’s just a matter of, through our lives, after losing Deidre, was keeping her memory alive,” said Deidre’s father Dave Week. “She was just a fantastic little girl. She was just a pleasure to be around.”
Her father remembers her as a girl filled with energy, with a love for the outdoors.
“She loved being out in the country, building forts,” said Week. “She had a pony right before we lost her. That pony was two years old at the time. It’s almost thirty years old now. There’s a lot of ways like that we just keep her memory alive and let my grandkids know how wonderful she was.”
Those grandkids know a lot about their aunt, through their father and their grandparents.
“One time, my three-year-old pointed to a picture of her and said, ‘Is she a queen grandpa?’ laughs Week. “And I said, ‘Yeah, she’s a queen.”
Deidre would be 38-years-old today. Her father has no doubt what she would be doing with her life today.
“She’d be a teacher,” said Week. “She pushed that all the time. She just loved her teachers at Vesper. That was her big dream, to be a teacher. And a mother.”
While they are still waiting for justice to be served, the Week family still appreciates the level of care they’ve received from Sheriff Becker and the Investigative Lieutenant Scott Goldberg.
“We never had a sheriff that was so interested in this,” said Week. “We sat down with him several times and he has just helped our families. “We feel he put us at ease, I guess.
”She’s in heaven, but you know we don’t forget her,” said Week. “We talk about her often. Just natural memories of her being happy. She was just always happy.”
The Wood County Sheriff’s Department encourages people if they have information to reach out to the Wood County Sheriff’s Department. If they’d like to remain anonymous, they can call or text Crime Stoppers at 1-877-325-7867. You can also submit an anonymous tip online.
