Typical Day Turns Into a Nightmare
For the Catsouras family, October 31, 2006 started off as a normal day: eating lunch together, family squabbles, affectionate farewells as Dad leaves for work. But that Halloween would end in horror. And it’s a family's ongoing nightmare that still resonates almost two decades later.
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Lunchtime Quarrel
Nikki Catsouras was an 18-year-old college freshman living with her parents and sisters in Ladera Ranch, California, a city located in Orange County about 50 miles south of Los Angeles. Pretty and shy, Nikki had a free-spirited creative side and was studying photography, and she also worked with children in special education.
On that Halloween afternoon, she and her parents were having lunch together and an argument ensued with her father about Nikki being denied use of her car as punishment for breaking a house rule: no smoking.
But when her father left for work shortly after lunch, he and Nikki exchanged knowing winks and “love you” farewells. It seemed like the lunchtime discord had blown over, like it would in any family.
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Nikki Catsouras Tragedy: Bad Cops, Trolls and the Porsche Girl
PERRYAMAY 27, 2023 9:44 PM EDT
The "Porsche girl" Nikki Catsouras died in a violent highway accident.
The "Porsche girl" Nikki Catsouras died in a violent highway accident.
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Typical Day Turns Into a Nightmare
For the Catsouras family, October 31, 2006 started off as a normal day: eating lunch together, family squabbles, affectionate farewells as Dad leaves for work. But that Halloween would end in horror. And it’s a family's ongoing nightmare that still resonates almost two decades later.
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Sensitive Reader Warning
This article contains graphic descriptions of a violent and tragic automobile accident and the death of a teenager.
Nikki Catsouras
Nikki Catsouras
Lunchtime Quarrel
Nikki Catsouras was an 18-year-old college freshman living with her parents and sisters in Ladera Ranch, California, a city located in Orange County about 50 miles south of Los Angeles. Pretty and shy, Nikki had a free-spirited creative side and was studying photography, and she also worked with children in special education.
On that Halloween afternoon, she and her parents were having lunch together and an argument ensued with her father about Nikki being denied use of her car as punishment for breaking a house rule: no smoking.
But when her father left for work shortly after lunch, he and Nikki exchanged knowing winks and “love you” farewells. It seemed like the lunchtime discord had blown over, like it would in any family.
But once her father had driven off, in an uncharacteristic move, Nikki stole the keys to her father’s prized possession, his Porsche 911 Carrera. She had never been behind the wheel of this vehicle before (in fact, she was forbidden from driving it), but Nikki got in the Porsche and blasted off at high speed.
Her mother saw Nikki leave and immediately notified her husband that Nikki was on the road somewhere in the Porsche. Her father changed direction and started looking for her, while simultaneously calling emergency 911 services.
