Erika died in a river rafting accident on July 27, 2004. She was a senior honor student and a member of the cross country team at Principia College in Illinois at the time. The school later constructed a gazebo in 2011 in her honor. Erika was only 21 years old and, to this day, still holds at least one Principia track and field record.
Her obituary can be found here.
