Days before her death on an Oklahoma highway, Emma Marie Linn reflected on a difficult moment from the year before — a “mini-stroke” and hospital stay she had survived after giving birth. Responding to a Facebook memory, the 22-year-old single mother of two wrote that it was “def a scary experience.” When another commenter expressed relief that she had pulled through, she replied, “Me too!”
Tragically, Emma lost her life last Saturday in another devastating incident. According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Emma and her mother, Heather Linn-Schutt, 46, were involved in a physical altercation on State Highway 2 when they were struck by a passing vehicle.
“It appeared to be more of a domestic dispute,” said Lt. Mark Southall of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. “They had been at a large gathering when the driver told them to get out of the car. They were fighting in the road when a vehicle struck them both.”
Authorities identified the driver as Ricardo Velasquez, 30, of Plano, Texas. He was driving a pickup truck and, according to officials, was wearing a seatbelt at the time. Velasquez was not injured and has not been charged, as the collision is being described as an accident on a dark stretch of road.
Emma, who lived in the small town of Antlers, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her mother, Heather, was hospitalized with serious injuries to her lower extremities and is reportedly in stable condition.
On social media, Emma often shared her pride in being a mother and the daily realities of raising her two young sons — her baby, who turned one in September, and her older boy, who had just started kindergarten.
Now, her community is grieving the loss of a young mother remembered for her warmth and resilience.
“[S]he leaves behind two beautiful lives. … I love you Emma,” one friend wrote on Facebook. “And I wish I could trade places.”
