After a Friday night SUV crash that took the lives of four students at Archie Williams High School in San Anselmo, and left two others severely injured, the family of one surviving teen just gave some details on how it all happened.
We covered the tragic news out of Marin County this weekend that four high schools students were killed in a car crash Friday night, and that two other teens in the car with them were both severely injured. All six victims were teenage girls aged 14 to 16 years old who attended Archie Williams High School in San Anselmo.
Today we're learning that a Volkswagen SUV veered into their lane, which made the girls’ vehicle swerve into a tree and burst into flames.
The two survivors were 16-year-old Elsa Laremont Stranczek, who was driving the car, and 14-year-old Marley Barclay. And now the Chronicle reports that Barclay’s parents have released a statement to the press, in hopes of pushing back against what they say is “Wild speculation, rumor and conjecture [that] is merely exacerbating what is already an excruciating process for all involved.”
“What we can share at this time is that Marley left our home at 6:50 pm to walk to downtown Fairfax,” the parents’ statement says. “There she met with the driver of the vehicle who was getting off work at approximately 7:15 pm They, along with the four other girls, left heading towards Woodacre shortly thereafter – all wearing seatbelts.”
The parents also noted that alcohol was not a factor in the crash.
Jessica Glantz and Ross Barclay, parents of crash survivor Marley Barclay, addressing Friday night’s tragic crash on a Marin County road that left four high school girls dead and two with serious injuries. Read more: https://t.co/sTNKhoFMwu
— The San Francisco Standard (@sfstandard) April 21, 2025
🎥: @allaboutgeorge pic.twitter.com/CHntnjLH4l
Barclay’s parents also gave a Monday press conference at Oakland’s Children's Hospital, and thanked the good Samaritans who intervened, one even pulling Marley’s body from the burning vehicle.
“We are deeply grateful to the medical staff caring for Marley with such compassion and skill,” the parents’ statement adds. “We also want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Good Samaritans who acted so bravely at the scene and to Marin’s first responders. We particularly want to thank the woman who pulled Marley from the vehicle and saved her life. We ask for help to identify this guardian angel as Marley would like the opportunity to thank her personally.”
UPDATE: Family & classmates mourn loss of Sienna Katz, Ada Kepley, Olive Koren & Josalynn Osborn, Archie Williams High @ArchieW_HS students killed in crash of SUV in West Marin. Parents of survivor - & Good Samaritan who helped rescue her - speak out, 4,5,6 p.m. @KTVU pic.twitter.com/4iJPGqLZn0
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) April 21, 2025
KTVU has the identities of the four girls who were killed Friday: 15-year-olds Sienna Katz, Ada Kepley, and Josalynn Osborn, and 14-year-old Olive Koren.
There are GoFundMe campaigns for the families of Sienna Katz, Ada Kepley, Olive Koren and Josalynn Osborn, as well as for the surviving Marley Barclay.
Related: Four Teenage Girls Killed, Two Injured In Marin Car Crash [SFist]
