Homeless woman killed by city truck in Spokane was troubled mother of 8

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A homeless woman who was killed by a city of Spokane truck was remembered at a memorial Wednesday as a mother of eight who suffered from mental problems.

The 53-year-old Stephanie Renee Meier was sleeping outdoors in frigid weather under clothes and cardboard early Tuesday when a Wastewater Management truck rolled over what appeared to be a debris pile at a construction site.

Her sister, Amy Bunder, told KREM that Meier declined offers of help and had been living in the hills near the Spokane airport for more than a year.

"There's people that wanted to help her," Meier's sister told KREM. "We just didn't know how."

In her late 40s, Meier left her home and kids and began living in the hills by the Spokane Airport, KREM reported. Family and friends said they tried to get her off the streets, but she refused helps.

Flowers and balloons mark the spot where she was run over. Police say the death appears to be an accident.