EDGERTON, Mo. — Friends and family gathered at an Edgerton church on Friday evening to say goodbye to two sisters found dead in a field earlier this week.
Ashley Key, 22, and her 19-year-old sister Britny Haarup were found dead in a Clinton County field on Sunday after disappearing from their Edgerton home on Friday. Prosecutors have charged 31-year-old Clifford Miller with first-degree murder in their deaths.
According to authorities, Miller admitted killing the sisters after smoking meth. He is now in custody in the Platte County Jail in lieu of $500,000 cash-only bond.
But the focus of the celebration of life on Friday night wasn’t on how the sisters died, but instead on their lives. A sea of bright colors filled the Mount Zion Baptist Church, at the request of the victim’s father – who on Monday vowed to celebrate his daughters’ lives.
“From this day on, none of us are going to wear black,” said Paul Haarup. “Not at any memorial service, not at any funeral, not at anything because we’re not grieving this. We want this to be a colorful remembrance of two amazing lives.”
The family asked for privacy during the service, which included pictures and videos of Ashley and Britny, some from when they were babies.
“My daughters Ashley Lynn key, and Britny Marie Haarup, were very wonderful people. Their short lives are not going to be forgotten,” said Paul Haarup. “Our duty is to make sure that the three granddaughters left behind are very aware of how special their mothers are.”