Minutes before a ceremony began commemorating the second anniversary of his daughter's death, Steve Swartz knelt down to console a third-grade girl in tears.
The child had been one of Justine Swartz Abshire's Emerald Hill Elementary School kindergarten students and was now overcome with emotion as she recalled the day in 2006 when she was told that her teacher was dead.
While former students relive the moment only occasionally, not a day goes by that Swartz, his wife, Heidi, and their daughter Lauren don't think about that fateful night when they got the terrible news, especially since they still don't know for certain how Abshire died.
Yesterday the family gathered with about 60 of their daughter's friends, co-workers and a few former students to mark the sad anniversary.
On the lawn in back of
Later, a patchwork quilt made by Abshire's students was hung in a school lobby.
"Except for being with her family, this is where Justine was most at home," Swartz told those assembled. "This was her family, too."
Moments later Heidi Swartz assured the small crowd, "Know that justice will be served!"
Justice is what the Swartz family has been seeking for two years.
Justine Swartz Abshire had been married less than six months when she was found dead on Taylorsville Road in the Barboursville area of Orange County late one November night.
Her body was discovered about 600 feet from her car, the door open and her keys and purse still inside.
To this day, no one knows why she was out around the midnight hour or exactly how she was killed. At first the Virginia State Police felt this may have been a hit-and-run incident, but later they began to suspect that Abshire may have been murdered.
According to the Swartz Web site, justiceforjustine, investigators have stated that there were no skid marks and little blood at the scene, and believe the young teacher's death was "not solely the result of a car impact."
"Things are not what they seem," Lauren Swartz said yesterday. "Accepting that was hard."
Since the 2006 tragedy, Steve and Heidi Swartz have become crusaders who won't rest until they know what really happened to their daughter.
In addition to the Web site, the family has established a $50,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the case, which was profiled on "ABC Primetime" on July 30, 2007.
"It changes your outlook on everything," said Steve Swartz. "It knocks you down real hard. You discover that bad things happen to good people."
Jennifer Bryant and Justine Swartz began teaching together at Emerald Hill in 2003 and became close friends.
"She was a wonderful, caring person," Bryant said. "We were good friends in and out of school, and I named my 1-year-old daughter Elizabeth after her. That was Justine's middle name."
Steve Swartz said it was completely out of character for his daughter, whom he describes as "a wonderful girl who didn't even drink," to be out on a lonely road on a school night.
He is certain that foul play was involved and has been pushing the State Police to look for the truth.
"This shouldn't have happened to her; it's just not right," he said.
Heidi Swartz says that investigators report that they have made "significant progress" in the case "but they are not willing to share with us what that progress is." The Swartz family has broken off contact with Eric Abshire, Justine's husband.
Special agent Mike Jones (800/572-2260) is in charge of the investigation.
Meanwhile, Steve and Heidi Swartz are determined to keep their daughter's memory alive and make sure the case remains in the public eye.
"We will not rest until justice is done," Steve Swartz said.
Donnie Johnston:
Email: djohnston@freelancestar.com