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Washington community hosts horse therapy event in wake of quintuple homicide

Participants spent time with therapists and horses, helping them process their grief and sadness.

FALL CITY, Wash. — As people in Fall City and surrounding communities continue to grapple with the tragedy that unfolded in the Humiston Home, several public events have been held to help those grieving process this horrific situation.

Jim Hutchins at the Natural Horsemanship Center hosted a community healing event on Sunday. Certified equine-assisted therapists from NW Hearts United were there to share the healing power of horses with those who showed up.

A 15-year-old boy was charged last week with five counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder with a firearm enhancement for the deaths of five family members inside a home near Fall City on Oct. 21.

"When you're having issues or you're struggling, the horses are a safe place," Hutchins said. "When you see something as tragic as this happen, there's no answers. there's just no answers."

Known for being empathic, Hutchins hoped participants would get relief from letting out their emotions around the horses. He compared them to the therapy dogs that were used in another community healing event over the weekend. 

Martha Davis, a trainer therapist at the event, said they would not be able to give full therapy sessions in the two hours allotted at the Natural Horsemanship Center. However, she hoped to help people get started on their healing journey, a journey none of them expected to ever be on.

"What's done cannot be undone," Davis said. "We have to be able to make peace with reality, whether we understand it or like it or not."

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