Late NHL reporter Jessi Pierce was remembered at an emotional public visitation attended by her friends and family, including her widowed husband, Mike Hinrichs.
Over a thousand people paid their respects at the memorial over the weekend, according to a Tuesday, March 31, story published by The Athletic. The memorial service was reportedly held at the Mueller Memorial Funeral Home in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.
Piece, 37, and the three children she shared with Hinrichs — sons Hudson, 8, and Cayden, 6, and daughter Avery, 4 — were all killed when their single-family home caught on fire on March 21.
Hinrichs, who was out of town on business at the time of the fire, was seen periodically interacting with mourners during the four-hour memorial.
The visitation was also attended by Pierce’s parents, her two brothers, friends of her children and Minnesota Wild general manager, Bill Guerin, and his wife, Kara.
The Athletic reported that “complete strangers” paid their respects, too. Pierce had made a name for herself with her respected hockey coverage, mostly focused on the Wild.
A cause of the fire remains under investigation, but the White Bear Lake Fire Department has ruled out arson.
According to a search warrant affidavit obtained by the Minnesota Star Tribune, Hinrichs was about to board a flight home when he received a call from police informing him about the fire.
He told authorities that his entire family was likely inside the home.
In the search warrant, made public on Wednesday, March 25, first responders said the fire was so intense that they were not able to immediately enter the home upon arrival.
The family home was “fully engulfed” with “flames shooting up dozens of feet in the air.”
Once firefighters were able to gain entry, they found Pierce and her three children “in the main living area at the front of the address near the entryway.”
The family’s dog was also killed in the fire.
As part of their investigation, authorities are hoping to analyze potential causes from in and around the home, including flammables, candles, electrical wiring, battery-operated devices, heating devices, household appliances, any altered natural gas piping and vehicles on the property at the time.
Autopsy results for all four victims are still pending, including the toxicology results, the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office told Star Tribune.
A GoFundMe has been set up to financially assist Hinrichs and help cover funeral expenses. The fundraiser has raised over $230,000, including $10,000 donations from both the NHL’s Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets, at the time of publication.
