GREENSBORO "Linsay has 175 friends."
On some Facebook profiles, that might look inflated.
Should police participation in high speed chases be prohibited? Join the discussion at the Debatables blog.
But people who knew UNCG freshman Linsay Erin Lunsford said she was the kind of young woman every teacher wants in class, and everyone who met her wanted to get to know her.
Lunsford, 18, and her 9-year-old sister, Maggie Lunsford, were killed Saturday afternoon in Granville County when a man fleeing Franklinton police crashed into the car Lunsford was driving home from a shopping trip.
The other driver, Guy Christopher Ayscue, 38, also died in the crash.
According to Franklinton police, Officer Mike Dunlap began pursuing Ayscue after seeing him driving on the wrong side of the road. Ayscue led Dunlap on a three-minute, high-speed chase that ended on a hilltop in Oxford, where Ayscue collided head-on with the girls' car.
Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Everett Clendenin said troopers don't yet know whether Ayscue was driving under the influence of alcohol.
Ayscue's criminal record spans at least 20 years, including more than a half-dozen DWIs. Investigators are awaiting a toxicology report to see whether drugs or alcohol were factors in the case.
Lunsford's older sister, Elizabeth Lee, said her family was angry that the police had not apologized for the chase that took three lives.
"Our anger is not even directed at (Ayscue)," Lee said.
"We feel like the senselessness of this situation is in the hands of the police officer who made this decision," Lee said. "My parents really want some change to come in this policy so that no one causes this to happen to another family."
Police and town officials in Franklinton are reviewing tapes of 911 calls connected to the high-speed chase as part of an internal investigation, according to The Associated Press. Dunlap has been placed on administrative duty, as is normal procedure.
Franklinton police Chief Ray Gilliam did not return phone messages left by the News & Record on Monday.
In less than a semester at UNCG, Lunsford, an honors student, had become active in student government, community volunteering and in the Make a Difference House, a special housing option for students who are passionate about community service.
"The fact that she made such a difference in four months is an incredible testament to her as a student here," said Mary Hummel, the school's director of housing and residence life.
Angela Caruso, the school's coordinator for residence life and student learning, lived in the same building as Lunsford and taught her in a class.
Lunsford's always-smiling face encouraged anyone to open up, Caruso said.
Caruso said that at every hall committee meeting Lunsford, a student in the elementary education program, had a story to share about a positive experience she'd had volunteering at the Greensboro Children's Museum.
Elizabeth Lee said Lunsford planned to go back to Granville County to teach after she graduated.
One of the many difficulties of the aftermath of the two girls' deaths was finding a place large enough to accommodate everyone who wanted to come to the funeral. They decided on Mount Energy Elementary, where both girls would feel at home. It's the school Maggie attended and where Linsay might have returned to teach.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact Sonja Elmquist at 373-7090 or selmquist@news-record.com
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