OCEAN PINES, Md. - It has been 87 days since 14-year-old Gavin Knupp was struck and killed in a hit-and-run crash in Worcester County.
In their heart-wrenching grief, Gavin's family has patiently waited for an arrest to be made in the case. But an arrest has still not happened, even thought the vehicle suspected to have been involved in the crash is in police custody.
Gavin's family recently sat down with WBOC's Steve Hammond to talk about Gavin, his legacy, and their fight for justice.
"It is minute to minute. You wake up every day and you lose him all over again," said Tiffany Knupp, Gavin's mother.
For Tiffany, Gavin's sister Summer, and Gavin's father Ray, it is a dramatic roller coaster of emotions every day nearly three months after the death of their son and brother.
"Gavin, he was a very outgoing person," said Summer. "As we said, he loved helping people. Anytime he walked into a room everyone laughed, whether he was making a joke or doing something stupid. Everyone basically loved Gavin."
"When I think about him, I think full throttle," Ray said. "He only had one speed and it was go, go, go, and everything he did, he did with heart. Fishing and surfing, he did it until he perfected it."
Tiffany said her son kept her family smiling.
"He made us laugh all the time," she said. "Just the stupid stuff that you miss every second, and the laughter was out of this house pretty fast. And that was the overwhelming part - it's the silence that gets you."
There's the silence and also the agonizing wait for an arrest to be made in this hit-and-run crash. It happened on Gray's Corner Road near Berlin, where a memorial to Gavin and all he loved sits.
"We know that the police department and everybody is working overtime," Tiffany said. "And we have complete faith in them and we know how hard they're working and we saw that from the beginning. The fact that it's taking a while is a good thing. They're getting everything right so we trust in that."
Gavin's sister agreed with her mother's sentiments.
"Naturally everyone's going to be frustrated with how long," Summer said. "Everyone's going to be frustrated with how long. Time is a frustrating thing, but we are more worried about having a conviction and having an outcome we want than how long it takes. We don't want to rush something and then get it wrong and then we're upset about that for years and years to come."
The Knupps did not want to get into details because they do not want to jeopardize the investigation, but they have a lot to say for the person or people responsible for Gavin's death.
"There's a lot of words, probably not suitable for TV. We'll just cross that bridge when the time comes," Ray said.
"One day may be something completely different," Tiffany said. "I have dreams when I look them in the eye one day."
"Just us as a family know what we would do," Ray said. "In our hearts, if you
But amid the frustration is patients and positivity, including the launch of the Gavin Knupp Foundation.
"It's just something that we wanted to start, to keep Gavin's legacy alive," Tiffany said. "He always wanted to help people and see what he could do make everybody's day go better."
Plans for the foundation include improvements at the Ocean Pines Skate Park, where Gavin made some of his closest friends, as well as a youth fishing tournament, with the ultimate goal of helping families deal with a similar loss.
"[It's about] helping families that have lost children and siblings that have lost a brother or sister and help them cope with that," Tiffany said. "You think of death and mourning and that totally cripples us, trust me all day long. But there's also this level of strength that we have and I totally, firmly believe it's Gavin just kind of pushing us along because he would not want us to be upset. That's not his personality. He would want us to fight for him and we are for sure."
Ray, Tiffany, and Summer want to thank everyone who has offered their love, prayers, and support. Many people and organizations have rallied around them. And there's an opportunity for the community to show more support. Coming up on Saturday, Oct. 22, a benefit to formally launch the Gavin Knupp Foundation will be held from 2-7 p.m. at Sinepuxent Brewing Company at 8816 Stephen Decatur Highway in Berlin.
More information about the upcoming benefit and the Gavin Knupp Foundation can be found at https://www.doitforgavin.com/ .
