Kriti Mehrotra
When 10-year-old Krystal Surles was attacked in the early hours of December 31, 1999, as she slept at a family friend’s home, everything turned upside down for the Surles family. That’s because, as explored in CBS’ ‘Live to Tell: Krystal’s Courage,’ the young girl had come face to face with a serial killer, only for him to kill her friend before attacking her and slashing her throat. However, what many don’t know is that both her parents were not even in the state at the time – her mother had to be called so as to get permission to operate on her.
Pam and Mark Surles Were Admittedly Not Perfect Humans or Perfect Parents
It was around the 1980s when Pamela “Pam” and Mark Surles tied the knot in a cozy ceremony surrounded by loved ones, following which they settled down in the mid to northwestern area of the US. That’s where they welcomed three beautiful girls into the world too – Krystal, Marque, and Amber, just for things to change by the time the mid-1990s rolled around. The couple had actually found themselves becoming deeply involved in drugs, which affected not just their interpersonal relationship but also their connection with their three girls.
As if that’s not enough, when Krystal was 6 or 7, Pamela actually got up and left the family upon realizing she needed to bring about a change if she wanted a better future for her girls. Yet, because of worries if there would even be a roof over her head, she left all her kids in the care of their father, but he, unfortunately, could never follow in her footsteps. Therefore, as the eldest daughter, Krystal assumed the role of both her parents and handled everything from the household to her younger sisters to the vest best of her abilities.
According to the aforementioned show, no matter how hard he tried, Mark couldn’t kick his alleged addiction to the curb, so Pam returned to take them with her upon getting sober. In fact, by the time late 1999 rolled around, the former had ended up getting arrested for his crimes while the latter had shipped off her elder two girls to live with family friends. Therefore, when Krystal was attacked, Mark was in prison, whereas Pa,m was in Kansas preparing for the family’s move to Texas.
Pam Surles Was By Krystal’s Side at Every Step of the Way
While Mark stated in the CBS original that he was glad he was locked up at the time because he would have thought of seeking revenge on her daughter’s assailant, Pam was of a different opinion. Instead of focusing on the ordeal itself or who her daughter’s killer was, all she could think of was the 10-year-old, her trauma, and how she could help uncaring for her in the long run. So, she immediately rushed to Texas and was right there when Krystal opened her eyes.
Pam couldn’t bring herself to tell her daughter about her 13-year-old friend Katy Harris’ demise since she couldn’t imagine her pain, yet the girl already had an idea about what had occurred. Therefore, despite the former not wanting to push and have her focus on her own health, Krystal unflinchingly spoke to detectives and ensured Tommy Lynn Sells’ capture, who turned out to be a serial killer. From the initial investigations to the trial and from her admittedly weak moments during healing to her growth in the years to follow, Pam was right there as her daughter’s support system.
While Pam Has Sadly Died, Mark Currently Leads a Quiet Life
According to reports, when Mark was ultimately released from behind bars, he turned over a new leaf in every sense of the word before also reconnecting with his daughters. In other words, he reconciled with all his girls to such an extent that they actually even resided near him in Idaho for a long while in the 2000s so as to really grow as a true family. Presently, from what we can tell, both Krystal as well as the youngest Surles daughter, Amber, are based out of the Boise area, where they are raising a family of their own.
As for Marque, the fellow Boise resident, partner, mother, as well as loving daughter sadly lost her life in May 2023, following which there was even a GoFoundMe created for her father, Mark. Coming to Pam, who long ago tied the knot with her companion Scott Gehrer before settling down in Kansas for good, she has also unfortunately passed away – she died at the age of 50 on December 12, 2018. While her cause of death has never been revealed, it’s likely she was facing some health issues at the time since she reportedly died at the Kansas City Hospice House in Kansas City, Missouri.
Read More: Krystal Surles: Where is the Survivor Now?
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