DENVER — Anne Marie Hochhalter, who survived the Columbine High School shooting in 1999 but was left partially paralyzed, passed away at the age of 43. Her death was discovered at her home in the suburban area of Denver on Sunday, and her family believes it may have been due to natural causes linked to her long-term injuries from the tragic event where 12 students and a teacher lost their lives.
The local coroner’s office, which performed autopsies on the Columbine victims, has now taken over the inquiry into the circumstances surrounding her passing. Hochhalter was well-known for her resilience, having expressed her journey towards forgiveness and emotional recovery in a letter to one of the gunmen’s mothers in 2016. In that heartfelt correspondence, she articulated the futility of harboring bitterness, likening it to “swallowing a poison pill.” At a vigil held recently to mark the 25th anniversary of the shooting, Hochhalter reflected fondly on her childhood past and emphasized the importance of remembering victims by their lives rather than the tragedy of their deaths.
Over the last quarter-century, Hochhalter endured significant physical pain from her injuries. Despite her struggles, her brother Nathan praised her selfless nature, as she devoted herself to helping a diverse range of individuals, from those living with disabilities to rescue dogs and her own family members. “She was a humanitarian and a wonderful sister,” Nathan remarked on Tuesday.
Hochhalter’s life was further darkened just six months post-shooting when her mother, Carla, took her own life after visiting a pawnshop to look at a gun. Following this ordeal, she found solace and support from the Townsend family, who also lost a daughter, Lauren, in the Columbine massacre. Sue Townsend stepped in to assist Hochhalter, accompanying her to medical appointments and rehabilitation sessions. Their connection flourished over time, leading to shared meals, outings, and family vacations; the Townsend couple eventually embraced Hochhalter as their own “acquired daughter.”
During a memorable trip to Hawaii, Hochhalter was thrilled to experience the sensation of floating pain-free in a lagoon, an uplifting moment she shared with the Townsends. “Our bond is a gift that emerged from the tragedy of Columbine, and that’s how I choose to view it,” Sue Townsend expressed. In 2016, Sue Klebold, the mother of one of the gunmen, published a memoir addressing the complexities surrounding her son’s actions and stressing the importance of mental health awareness. Hochhalter appreciated Klebold’s efforts to allocate proceeds from her book to mental health initiatives, drawing parallels to her own mother’s struggles with depression.
Hochhalter reflected on the shared anguish of loss, knowing that both she and Klebold had likely contemplated their respective powerlessness regarding their loved ones’ fates. “A wise friend once told me that bitterness is self-destructive. I have learned to forgive and wish my best for you,” she wrote in a heartfelt Facebook post, alongside a photograph of a card sent to her during her recovery by the Klebolds.
Hochhalter marked the somber 25th anniversary vigil in April accompanied by her brother, who was barricaded in a classroom during the shooting. She had chosen to avoid the previous commemoration five years earlier due to her struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder. Last year, she expressed on social media, “I’ve genuinely been able to heal my soul since that terrible day in 1999.”
