A North County woman, the wife of the Google whistleblower, has died following a car crash on Interstate 15 on Dec. 23.
Misti Vaughn, 29, was identified by the California Highway Patrol as the deceased driver in a car crash on the morning of Monday, Dec. 23.
Vaughn was driving on the transition ramp from SR 78 to I-15 in the rain when she lost control of her Ford Ranger and spun out, veering to the left and flying across I-15, CHP said. She crashed into a big rig and an SUV, whose drivers stayed at the scene and were not injured.
After transportation to the hospital, she remained in intensive care at Palomar Medical Center in Escondido for several days until her death.
“I spent 4 days with her, never left, never changed clothes,” said husband Dr. Robert Epstein.
Vaughn was married to the Google whistleblower, Dr. Robert Epstein, who testified before Congress against Google in July, sharing how the company reportedly meddled in the 2016 election.
Dr. Epstein said the couple lived in Vista, working at their non-profit, the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology.
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“Misti's poetry was what got me to fall in love with her,” Dr. Epstein said. “She had an extraordinary inner depth and beauty you can see through her work.”
He described his wife of nearly seven years as an accomplished poet with exceptional talent and care for the world. He said her poetry has a real edge because of the tragedy she's endured.
“This is a double tragedy for her family because her younger sister Christina, almost four years ago to the day was killed by a hit and run driver,” he said.
Over the weekend Dr. Epstein shared about his loss publicly on twitter, writing:
Vaughn's poems were published in several publications. Dr. Epstein said he was thankful for the support and hopes to share Misti’s poetry to all.
Vaughn was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, according to Dr. Epstein.
