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Son of Rachel Anderson loses precious photo of him with his mother in fire

Wilcox dealt with that loss and is now dealing with the aftermath of a fire that destroyed the Clarkston home where he was living.

CLARKSTON, Wash. – The son of a woman who was murdered eight years ago is now dealing with more loss.

Adin Wilcox, 19, is the son of Rachel Anderson. Anderson was murdered eight years ago but her body was never found. Her disappearance sparked a murder case that received national attention.

Wilcox dealt with that loss and is now dealing with the aftermath of a fire that destroyed the Clarkston home where he was living.

"I got up, looked outside the window, saw licks of flame. I was like, ‘Fire? Oh fire,’" Wilcox explained.

It was a fire that might not normally make headlines. Nobody died and the two people inside this got out safely. What is even more tragic is the memories of his mother he lost, specifically a photo of him with his mother.

"It's weird, I can still see the eyes of the picture. That's what stands out the most,” Wilcox explained. “It's not easy to always express the thought process behind this."

Today, Anderson's convicted killer sits in prison, serving a life sentence. All that Wilcox has left are memories of her.

"She was always happy. I always remember her smiling,” he said.

The photo of her and Wilcox was the only picture of the two of them that he personally owned. He said his sisters likely have others of him and Anderson.

Wilcox is surprisingly resilient about the fire. It gutted the home he was living at along with Jennifer Bodily, a family friend.

"When I walked in, and I seen the devastation of it all, it hurt me so bad," Bodily said.

It is not clear how the fire started last week. Thieves would later scavenge the place, making off with some of her jewelry. That hurts her but she also feels for Wilcox and that charred photo.

"My heart sank. Because I knew his mom meant so much to him. And he has very little things from his childhood," Bodily explained.

Wilcox admits he is more concerned about Bodily and her well-being. She has been recovering from surgery.

Wilcox is not only missing his mom, but now this keepsake of her. He will not let this fire hold him back because he knows that is not what mom would have wanted.

Wilcox and Bodily are staying with family and friends for now. Bodily said they plan on rebuilding.

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