Arlington, WASHINGTON — Christina Jefferds and her 4-month-old granddaughter, Sanoah Huestis, died in the mudslide that has now made their neighborhood on Steelhead Drive unrecognizable.
Jefferds, who was married to an Oso firefighter, was found dead on Monday.
Two days later, searchers found Sanoah Huestis, about 10 feet away from where her grandmother was.
Sanoah’s mother, Natasha Huestis, said the week has been a whirlwind.
The mudslide has changed “everything I ever thought, everything I thought I wanted to do, everything about everyone,” Huestis said.
She went through the mud and debris Wednesday in search of her baby, but eventually it was someone else who found the girl and brought her back to her mother’s arms.
“When I was told they found baby Sanoah, I could do nothing but smile,” Huestis said, even though everyone around her cried.
She said she always smiled with her happy baby, and even Sanoah’s death would not change that.
“Maybe mothers out there would understand that you want to hold your baby regardless of whatever. It doesn't matter if they spit on you, or poop, or in this circumstance, not with you,” Huestis said.
She also said she felt lucky her child was found, while others continue to wait on news of their loved ones.
Huestis said her mother is her inspiration now. Christina Jefferds worked hard as an office manager at a dental practice six days a week. On Saturdays, she watched Sanoah.
It’s Jefferds’ strength and willpower that Huestis is trying to emulate now.
“I can only hope to be a mom and a woman like she was, and maybe even more. It’s definitely something that I shoot for,” she said.
Their next-door neighbor is a woman who was rescued along with her six-month-old son. Both mother and baby are recovering at Harborview.
Huestis visited them and was told in those moments of chaos, her neighbor saw the Jefferds’ chimney and roof hurtling through the air.
The people in one house survived, while those in the other house did not. Though neighbors and families were torn apart, the community has overwhelmingly rallied together.
“We’ll get through this. It’s just a rough start,” Huestis said
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