Jersey of Marin star who died is stolen
NEWS
Stolen items can be replaced, but a backpack taken from a car on a rainy night in Oakland contained items that are irreplaceable.
Peyton Mullarkey, an 18-year-old senior at the Branson School, returned to his car Dec. 6 after getting dinner with his parents to find glass scattered around the rear window.
“I looked around and my bag was not in there,” said Malarkey, who had just played for Branson in the Piedmont basketball tournament. “My heart dropped because I realized what was in there. It was Kwentyn’s things. It hit me hard.”
Kwentyn Wiggins, a 17-yearold standout athlete from
Marin City who played basketball and football for Branson, died in a car accident in June. His best friend Mullarkey had his No. 11 home jersey and custom basketball shoes in the backpack that was stolen.
“(Wiggins’) parents asked me to wear his jersey for games after his passing so the jersey can finish out his senior year,” Mullarkey said. “He deserved that and I promised to do that since I know he’d do the same for me.”
Since the theft, Wiggins’ family and friends have posted flyers in Oakland and published a Facebook post on Dec. 27 asking that the items be returned.
LaTanya Wiggins, Kwenteyn’s mother, said a police report was filed. She said the
family does not intend to press charges against whoever stole her son’s jersey, they just want the property returned.
“They don’t realize what they have in their possession,” LaTanya Wiggins said. “It’s useless to them but it’s absolutely priceless
for us.”
LaDonna Wiggins, the teen’s aunt, said the family was heartbroken for different reasons.
“One is because it was his original jersey for games and we wanted to keep it for sentimental value, and it was going to get retired at the end of the season,” LaDonna Wiggins said. “His best friend Peyton found comfort wearing the jersey during the games.”
Wiggins was known best for his prowess on the court. He helped the Bulls achieve a 61-4 overall record and a Marin County Athletic League ledger of 29-1 as a sophomore and junior point guard.
With Wiggins starting, Branson won two MCAL and NCS championships and reached the Northern California Division I title game last season. He was also named to the all-MCAL
second team.
Mullarkey said Branson still has Wiggins’ original away jersey and the team will retire it at the end of the season.
Shawna Mullarkey, Peyton’s mother, said Wiggins played his best in the white home jersey.
“That’s the one that should be retired, the one he wore for the championship,” Shawna Mullarkey said.