10 years later: Hilton community to remember young girls killed by their father

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Two young girls killed by their father a decade ago are being remembered this weekend.

Raechel Coffey, the mother of one of the victims, is bringing the Hilton community together to honor the young victims.

Reflecting on her past, Coffey says her 10-year-old daughter, Noel Parcells, would be a college student today.

“She was the school newspaper editor, she was a math tutor, and she wanted to be a veterinarian when she grew up,” Coffey said. “She was very vibrant, she danced a lot, she sung a lot, she loved dancing. She was very smart. She was in the reach program for gifted children. When she was four, she was reading my Psych 101 textbook."

This weekend will mark 10 years that changed the mother’s life forever – the day Noel’s father, Adam Parcells, murdered her and her 3-year-old half-sister, Mia Parcells, at a campground in Lake George before turning the gun on himself.

"The camping spot where it happened was camp spot 109," Coffey said. "They filled it boulders now, so nobody can camp on the grounds they died on. Every year, they put flowers out for Labor Day weekend."

Coffey says the healing has not been easy.

“To be honest, I have a hard time remembering her," Coffey said. "I think that’s my brain way of dealing with the trauma, but reading my poems and watching her on video, I have a few memories coming through."

Writing poems is one of the ways Coffey has dealt with her healing journey and what she plans to read aloud on Labor Day at a memorial service for her daughter.

"I really hope the Hilton community comes out and remembers them, especially the children who are now college students,” Coffey said.

An obituary dedicated to both Noel and Mia Parcells will be in this Sunday’s edition of the Democrat and Chronicle.

On Monday, Sept. 6 at 2 p.m., a memorial service will take place in front of the Village Elementary school in Hilton where Noel was a student.