LEHIGH ACRES, Fla – A couple was killed in their Lehigh Acres home on Sunday. Stephanie Cuevas-Mammen, a mother of six and Marcos Earhart, a father of two were both killed, according to a family member.
Stephanie and Marcos were dating, and they share a daughter together.
Fox 4 exclusively interviewed Marcos’ adopted mother, Marcia Earhart. His family knows him as ‘Marc’. She said the tragic news of his death came as a shock to their family and they are grieving with hope.
For now, Earnhart takes some comfort in what she heard during her final phone conversation with Marc last week. “He goes, ‘Mom, I love you.’ And I said ‘Honey, I love you too,” said Earnhart.
Marcia and her husband Scott raised Marc since he was 6 years old. They adopted Marc and his brother John. She said since he was little, he was full of love and laughter. That same warm demeanor endeared him to people as he got older.
“He was very outgoing,”said Earnhart. “He never met a stranger. He knew people from all walks of life.”
Marcia also lost her other son Sterling in a car wreck when he was 21 years old. “This is every mom’s nightmare, and it’s a nightmare we had twice,” said Earnhart.
After his death, they started Sterling Rose Sanctuary. It’s a free resource for grieving families who lost a child, sibling or grandchild. They are now using this to honor Marc and refuse to give into despair.
They now have a GoFundMe page set up for the sanctuary.
“We do not let the brokenness define us in those moments. We celebrate them,” said Earnhart.
She decided to speak publicly after Marc’s biological mom publicly talked about the case.
“I understand her loss,” said Earnhart. “I have great compassion for her, but in the essence of truth to who Marc is, the life he lived, we were his family.”
She said Marc is now in the good hands of God. The family plans to have a memorial service to remember and celebrate Marc’s life.
Fox 4 will release details of the service when the family finalizes things.
Right now, Marc and Stephanie’s death are being investigated as a double homicide.
