Chelsea's Mom Concerned People Might Remember

I guess we at 2GH2 aren't the only ones concerned about the manner of death in this case. Here's the Charleston Paper:

Mom doesn't want manner of death to be daughter's legacy

By David Slade (Contact)

The Post and Courier

Friday, June 22, 2007

Provided by Kelley Hartsell

Chelsea A. Tumbleston (left), who died in a fall from a roof in Columbia, and her mother, Kelley Hartsell, at Chelsea's 21st birthday in January.

Kelley Hartsell wants her eldest daughter to be remembered as a caring young woman whose personality could light up a room, rather than being remembered for the unusual manner of her death.

Chelsea Tumbleston, a 21- year-old graduate of Stratford High School who attended University of South Carolina, died Wednesday in Columbia after she and 21-year-old Brent W. Tyler of Hilton Head fell about 50 feet from a building during the early morning hours.

"Unfortunately, those two children fell to the ground and died, and were found by a cab driver, naked," Hartsell said.

"No one wants that to be their legacy," she said. "That is a child who was working her way through college with her own money to become a nurse."

Police haven't reached a conclusion on what caused the couple to fall to their deaths. Their clothing was found on the roof of the building, and they were found in the street at 5 a.m. by the cab driver.

Because of the unusual nature of the deaths, the story was picked up by media outlets across country.

"I think it's just terrible to be known as the naked person off of a building, when she was one of the sweetest people I've known in my life," said family friend Rhonda Reeves. "It's a tragedy, without a doubt.

"She's my best friend's daughter, who was one of the most beauti- ful little girls, inside and out," Reeves said.

Tumbleston and Tyler were co-workers at a Wild Wing Cafe near Columbia, and Tumbleston worked at Wild Wing in Mount Pleasant before going to USC and during summer breaks, according to her mother.

Hartsell said her daughter grew up in Mount Pleasant and Goose Creek, and she was a cheerleader and prom queen at Stratford High School who enjoyed sports.

"She was loving and caring," Hartsell said. "I had some financial problems and she was helping me."

She said her daughter typically put in long hours at work, and that Tumbleston and Tyler had been seeing each other for a couple of weeks.

Hartsell said her daughter had just taken exams in May and recently asked her for help with financial aid forms, but USC spokesman Russ McKinney said Tumbleston withdrew from school last August and was not enrolled this year.

"The police are still trying to figure out what happened," Hartsell said. "It's not how she died, it's how she lived."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Reach David Slade at 937-5552 or dslade@postandcourier.com.