Family’s hope turns to grief: ‘ we know it’s Kim’
The grieving family of Kim Richmond say they now face a struggle to live without the mother of three.
A ute the 42- year- old was driving when she went missing almost a year ago was pulled out of Lake Arapuni on Thursday. Yesterday a post mortem was completed on the body recovered with the vehicle.
Kim’s mother Raywynne Richmond told the Weekend Herald the family were awaiting confirmation it was Kim’s body, though they believed it would be.
“It’s hard, it’s a waiting game, but you can’t do anything, you just have to wait. It’s awful. But we’re convinced that it is Kim.”
Kim disappeared in the early hours of July 31 from her remote farm at Arohena.
She was last seen with her partner of 26 years and the father of her three children Corey Jefferies, after they went to a mid- winter barbecue to watch a Super Rugby semifinal with friends at the Arohena Social Club.
The family say they were shattered at the discovery because it meant the hope they had clung to of finding Kim alive was gone.
“A little bit devastated because there was always that glimmer of hope that she was out there somewhere, you know,” said Raywynne. “Maybe captured, but still alive. But then to say that they’d found the ute and then to say there was a body in it, well yeah, that was a shock.
“But we will have closure. That is something.”
Raywynne said Jefferies took it hard and tears had been shed, and her grandchildren — two boys and a girl — were sad but they were also resilient, heading off to Fieldays in Hamilton today.
“They’re coping okay. That was all planned and it’s best just to keep to their routine.”
The family went to Lake Arapuni, not far from where the couple farmed in Mangare Rd, this week after police told them the ute had been found.
“We went there on the Wednesday, down to the lake to have a look. The crane was going in late that evening.”
The ute was submerged near a boat ramp.
“I’m not too sure why it wasn’t found the first search.”
She said the enormity of their loss seemed surreal.
“It hasn’t hit. We’re pushing the emotions back. We’ve had 11 months to deal with this.
“It’s not going to show until we actually get Kim back and find that life will never ever be the same. And that’s the hard part.
“Life goes on and we have to live without Kim and for us that’s really, really hard.”
It hasn’t hit. We’re pushing the emotions back. We’ve had 11 months to deal with this. Raywynne Richmond