‘It’s been tough’: Family of woman who died in N.Y. blizzard speaks

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV/Gray News) - As the state of New York continues to deal with the historic blizzard, a Charlotte family knows firsthand the pain this storm has caused.

“It’s been tough. I have more hard mornings than any other time,” said Tomeshia Brown. “When I wake up in the morning, that’s the first thing on my mind. It’s been hard to leave the house for me.”

Brown is talking about her sister Anndel Taylor.

The 22-year-old Taylor, family says, was killed in the blizzard that rocked the Buffalo area Christmas weekend.

Dozens have died in the historic winter storm. (CNN, Spectrum News Buffalo, New York State Police, NYSDOT Western NY, Erie County, City of Hamburg)

Taylor’s family says she was leaving work Friday when she got stuck in the snow.

“As the day was going with just texting back and forth, like, are you okay, what’s going on now? Do you have heat. And that’s just how it started,” said Brown.

Brown says Taylor was texting updates throughout the evening.

“She called the police. They said they were on their way. I think about four hours had passed and I’m like, they still haven’t came yet and she’s like, ‘No, but I’m on hold with them,’ but she was on hold for about 22 minutes. At that time, I think it was like eight that night by that time” Brown said.

In one of the messages, Taylor sent her family a video that showed the snow piling up around her car. Her plan, they say, was to wait out the storm and then walk home.

Hours later, Taylor was found dead inside the car.

“The snow covered the exhaust pipe, and carbon monoxide is what killed her. That’s what we think,” Brown said.

They also believe local authorities didn’t do enough to save her. As of Tuesday night, they also told WBTV they have not been contacted by authorities in New York.

Tomeshia Brown, joined by her sister Shawnequa Brown and mother Wanda Brown, say Anndel was loving and giving person.

“She went to college for business so she can come back and help us grow our business,” the sisters said.

The family has created a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses.

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