On Jan. 31, 2021, Maureen Branigan and her mom, Debbie Branigan, spent the whole day together. They went grocery shopping, got ingredients for beef stew, cuddled on the sofa, and watched TV. As nightfall came and a snowstorm arrived, Debbie, who lived just three blocks away from Maureen in Philadelphia, decided to head home. She got in her car and drove off.
Debbie had been dealing with health issues like type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, but Maureen said that day was quite good for her mom health-wise. Debbie often joked about slipping and “breaking her neck” when it snowed, so Maureen texted her, “Did u make it home alive lol?” to check in.
However, Maureen didn’t get a reply. “I didn’t think twice when she didn’t reply,” Maureen, 30, said. “It wasn’t uncommon for her to just go home, go to bed, and then FaceTime me in the morning to make our plans for the day. We spent every day together.”