Wendy Throop Sunderlin
Remembering an Angel:
Wendy Throop Sunderlin
by Kevin Caruso
Wendy Throop Sunderlin was a beautiful, vivacious, and intelligent young woman.
She graduated near the top of her high school class and received a scholarship to Ohio Wesleyan University.
She went to college and was doing quite well until December of 1995 when she was at a social gathering in a college fraternity - it was there that she was raped.
Wendy was devastated by the incident, but she was afraid to tell anyone about what happened, and she began suffering from depression.
She went home to visit her family for Christmas break, but Wendy felt alone, lost, and confused. She was still unable to tell anyone about the rape, so she stayed out late at night trying to cope with her overwhelming feelings.
Because her parents did not know about the rape, they became angry with her for arriving home as late as she did.
One night, after arriving home late again and after arguing with her mother, she felt desperate and called a friend and told him about the rape. But this young man did not know what do to, and did nothing to comfort or help her.
After getting off of the phone, Wendy took some of her father's anxiety pills, went into the washroom, and cut her wrists.
Bill, Wendy's father, heard some noise coming form the washroom, so he ran to the washroom and found her.
Wendy survived.
After going to the emergency room, she was transferred to the psychiatric ward, where she stayed for a week. It was there that her parents learned about the rape.
Before she was discharged, Wendy's doctor spoke with Wendy's mom, Sharon, and told her that because of Wendy's emotional state, she needed to allow Wendy to do what she wanted.
And Wendy wanted to return to school. Although her parents were strongly opposed to her decision, they let her return based on the doctor's advice.
Wendy seemed to do well for about a year, and in November 1996 her mother asked her if she would like to come home for Thanksgiving. Wendy said that she couldn't because she had too much work to do.
But a few nights later, Sharon arrived home and saw Wendy's car in the garage. Sharon was excited that Wendy was home, but was also concerned that she might have come home because of a serious problem.
Sharon quickly entered the house and saw her mother, who was living with them at the time, and asked where Wendy was. She indicated that Wendy was upstairs, so Sharon called for Wendy to come down, but there was no response.
Sharon thought that Wendy was asleep, so she went up the stairs and saw that the door to Wendy's room was open and that there was some type of stain on it.
Still believing that Wendy was asleep, Sharon walked into Wendy's room.
Sharon then saw Wendy lying dead on the floor with a rifle next to her.
Wendy had died by suicide.
Wendy was a wonderful person.
We miss you Wendy.
