Father shares memories of daughter buried in landslide at Fort Funston

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - The father of a 22-year-old woman who was buried by a landslide at Fort Funston spoke with KTVU about the grieving process, and shared memories of his daughter who he says was the sunshine in his family’s life.  

Dave Scarlet tells KTVU  he's grateful for the first responders who tried to recover his daughter and finds comfort in the support the family has received.

Despite an exhaustive search, Kyra Sunshine Scarlet was not located.

Scarlet says, just like her name, she brought light to those around her and  she was a fiercely loyal friend. He takes comfort in knowing that she died in a place that she loved - out in nature. "She was adventurous. She enjoyed exploring. Loved the water. Loved that dog that survived," he said. 

Scarlet spoke with KTVU via Facetime as he was travelling back to their family home in Utah. He believes  his daughter washed  out to sea on February 22. She was walking on the beach with her dog Iris and a friend at Fort Funston when a landslide buried the two women.  

"The first night,  they said roughly half the sand had fallen… washed out to sea so we kind of accepted the fact that Kyra became a mermaid that night," he said. 

Crews were able to rescue Kyra's friend whose name has not been released.  

"She was very torn up emotionally.  Physically, she's in some pain," said Scarlet who says he's told her that he and his family are happy she survived and that they love her.

Kyra's boyfriend Shawn Gan tells KTVU the friend saw sand rolling down from the top of the cliff before the landslide. She said they were trying to avoid the tide -  they were not climbing up the cliff when the slide happened.  

On Friday, the National Park Service ended its search for Kyra after digging with shovels, using heavy excavating equipment and cadaver dogs with no results. 

Her father says he was disappointed but  prepared for the outcome. He's grateful for the effort put into trying to recover his daughter.

"We were able walk out there and stand in front of the slide and kind of have a moment," says Scarlet.  

The family visited the area several times . 

"We walked out there with some flowers  and said our goodbyes and threw them over the edge," he said.   

Scarlet is now contemplating a future without his daughter. "When she would hug me, it was this full body hug. She just would kind of tuck in and squeeze. I'll miss that. We know that we'll be reunited as a family one day." 

Kyra's beloved dog will now be in the care of her younger sister.

Her father says there will be a memorial service for her this Saturday in Utah where their many family and friends live.