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Spring 2020 IM Ryder

Terms in this set (39)

Please introduce yourself to the jury.
My name is Jordan Ryder
Ms. Ryder, why are you here?
I'm here because my daughter died.
Ms. Ryder, I have to ask. Did you kill your daughter?
No. She was my whole world. She was the reason I woke up everyday. She gave me purpose. She made me a dad.
Then, let's talk about what happened on July 14th, 2018.
Ok
I want to start from the beginning. How did this day begin?
Well, Parker and I packed the truck that morning and left for Calkins' Campground. We got hungry on the way, so we stopped at a café. We were there around 10:30, maybe.
What did you do at the café?
Parker and I sat down and got something to eat. We were looking at camping stuff. Talking about what trails we were going to hike. A friend of mine recommended the Leckrone Loop. We were so excited.
Ms. Ryder, when did you leave the café to go hike this trail?
We probably left around 11:30 and went straight to the campgrounds.
What did you do once arriving to Calkins?
We went to Cabin #1 because that's where it said to check-in. I checked in with the campground owner, Armani, and we drove down to Campsite 12.
After arriving at your campsite, what did you and Parker do?
We started to walk around the campground. I wanted to make sure Parker got the full experience, since she hadn't been there in so long.
What do you mean "she hadn't been in so long?"
When Parker was younger, my wife, Terry, and I would take her out to Calkins for picnics. We would spend hours walking around the campsites, picking out which one we would want to live in one day. Parker always chose Campsite 12. We even marked our names in a tree right beside the campsite, so we could always remember it would be ours one day.
Just to be clear, Ms. Ryder, you've been to Calkins before?
My family and I used to go all the time. But after my wife died, Parker and I started to go less and less.
So if you've been to Calkins before, were you familiar with the Leckrone Loop?
I hadn't been to Calkins Campground in over 8 years. They changed the names of all the trails. I didn't know what the Leckrone Loop was or that it was even hard. If I did, I would have NEVER taken Parker on it.
Let's talk more about Leckrone Loop. When did you and Parker start hiking it?
It was right after we had lunch. Around 2:00 maybe.
Now, Ms. Ryder, what happened on this hike?
My biggest fear came true. Parker and I started on the trail, but then she started lagging behind. She had a walking stick that I had bought her that day and was using it to walk up the trails. She had a disease that made her bones weak, and from what I saw, Parker was using it to help her walk. Brittle Bone Disease is what it's called.
Do you know anything about Brittle Bone Disease?
Yeah, Corbin sent me an information sheet about it. That's how I researched what was wrong with Parker.
Would you recognize a copy of that information sheet if I were to show it to you?
Yes.
What have I just handed you?
It's the sheet that Corbin sent me.
How do you recognize it?
I've read it a million times.
Is it a fair and accurate copy of the medical report that you received from Corbin?
Yes
Has it been changed or altered in any way?
No
Now, on this sheet, I want to turn your attention to the second page with the title of "Healthy Lifestyle."
Okay
What does it say about people with OI and their lifestyles?
It says, "People with OI benefit from a healthy lifestyle that includes safe exercise and a nutritious diet."
You mentioned that you read this report repeatedly. Did you find anything that was particularly helpful in this sheet?
Yeah. Where it says, "With good medical management and supportive care, the majority of people who have OI will lead healthy, productive lives." That gave me a lot of hope because I KNEW I could give Parker that supportive care she needed to live a healthy life.
Was this the only information you read about your daughter's disease?
Yeah. I saw the words exercise and support and it immediately made me think of camping like we used to.
On this sheet, it also mentions Types of OI. What type was Parker diagnosed with?
She was diagnosed with Type I. On here, it says Type I is the mildest type. I know that should've been comforting, having someone you love be diagnosed with the mildest form. But I was still cautious. As a single father, having your child diagnosed with any disease is scary.
So on the trail, what was making Parker "lag behind" as you said before?
It says right here that many people who suffer from OI have respiratory issues, including asthma. Parker had asthma. It also says that people become fatigued. Parker was a strong- willed girl, but a father knows when her child is struggling.
If you knew Parker was struggling, why did you keep hiking?
I wanted to her to move past her disease. I wanted her to be strong. I wanted her to be the same little girl I used to hike with.
Did you ever think to turn around on the trail?
I did, but then again you have to think like a father. Turning around could have scared her, made her feel unsure of herself. I helped her throughout the hike. I even took the hiking stick from her so she could hold on to me while she walked.
Did you ever hit Parker with the hiking stick?
No. I would never hurt Parker.
Then why did you take the hiking stick if you were trying to help Parker?
When she was lagging behind me, I would hear her trip. Everytime I turned around, she was leaning on that hiking stick. Everytime after she fell, I would hear her say, "Ouch, it hit me again."I think the hiking stick was jabbing into her every time she tripped, so I took it away from her and helped her myself.
When did you end the hike?
It took us a bit longer than expected, but we finished around 6, 6:15 maybe. We were both so exhausted.
What did you do after you got back?
Parker went and laid down in the tent. I started making the fire for the night and went to my truck to get our food for dinner. About five minutes after I came back, the campground owner came to our campsite.
What did the campground owner do?
Just asked how we were settling in...and he asked where Parker was. I assumed she was taking a nap, so me and Armani, the campground owner, looked inside the tent... but she wasn't there.
What did you do?
Internally, I started freaking out. My first thought was maybe she went to take pictures of the sunset. But after Armani left, I immediately started back on the trails to find her.
Where did you go?
I went everywhere we had been that day. I went back onto Leckrone Loop and looked for hours, screaming Parker's name with every breath I took. After it was late, I went back to the café to see if she was there. After that, I even went to that shop where we bought the hiking staff.
Of all of the places you went, did you have any clue as to where Parker could've been?
No. I couldn't find her anywhere and I couldn't ask for help.
Why couldn't you of asked for help?
I was panicking. I was the only person who was with Parker all day. When I couldn't find her, I didn't call for help because we had picked out a spot to meet at in case we got separated while on the hike. I waited too long and I know that now. I was selfish and stupid. But at the time, I thought, the moments spent waiting for a phone call to go through would've been moments I could've spent looking for Parker. In those moments you're never the most rational, and I just wanted my daughter back.
Did you ever go back to the campsite?
Once I realized she wasn't anywhere I had looked, I went back and looked for her on the trails for the rest of the night. I came back to the campsite around dawn that morning. I got into the tent and just sat there. I didn't know what to do. I was so tired. So worried.
When did the police come into your tent?
Maybe 5 minutes after I dozed off. At first, I thought that they had found Parker. That she may have gotten lost and called 911. But then I saw their faces, and I knew something was wrong.
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