MILWAUKEE — On National Sibling Day, Darold and Collette Badora remember their brother Joey Badora and his girlfriend, Maria Buhler.
The couple died after the suspect leading U.S. Marshals on a chase collided into a car they were driving on 51st and Center on April 3.
"I did not want to believe it. None of us did," said Collette Badora, Joey's sister.
Since then, both families have received an outpouring of support. A GoFundMe for the two families has raised over $13,000.
Despite that, the two siblings deal with the reality of losing their loved ones.
"It's been really hard," Darold Badora said.
The families still find reasons to smile, looking back on fond memories from days of the past.
"He wouldn't want us to be sad. He'd want us to celebrate the great life that he had," Darold said.
Milwaukee Police said Maria died at the scene of the crash. Paramedics took Joey to a nearby hospital to save his life.
Due to COVID-19 related hospital restrictions, few people were allowed inside the hospital to see Joey in ICU.
Many loved ones were waiting outside for hours, hoping for the best. They never got to say goodbye in person.
"It was a very different experience than we wanted. We wanted to be with our brother," Collette said. "We just felt better being there, even though we couldn't be with them inside."
Darold and Collette said both had giving hearts and their whole lives ahead of them.
"Yes, they were only dating for a year and a half, but they were going to be together forever. And now they are... just in another place," Collette Badora said.
Donald Cooper Jr. was arrested after the chase. He was wanted for homicide charges out of Minot, North Dakota.
You can visit the GoFundMe for Joey and Maria here.
