Family reeling from LV woman’s death

Tuesday, July 26, 2005 | 11:01 a.m.

On the last day of her life, Las Vegas native Kristi Miller celebrated her 27th birthday with her boyfriend in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik, parasailing over the glistening waters of the Red Sea.

"She told me they were going horseback riding later and then out to dinner," her father, Tony Miller, told the Sun in a telephone interview Monday. "I told her 'Happy birthday, be careful, I love you.' She said, 'I love you too.' "

Kristi and her boyfriend, Keri Davies, who were planning to become engaged, both died in terrorist bombings that ripped through a luxury hotel lobby and nearby coffee house just before dawn Saturday.

At the request of U.S. officials, Kristi's body is bound for Dover, Del., where an autopsy will be performed.

"It's standard procedure in a terrorist attack when there might be forensic evidence," Tony Miller said. "They asked our permission and we're cooperating."

He said he hopes his daughter's body will be returned to the family in Las Vegas by this weekend. Services are tentatively scheduled for early next week.

When his daughter first told him of her plans to visit Egypt, Miller said, he was concerned. But a quick check of the resort town's reputation put those fears to rest, he said.

"It's a six-hour drive from Cairo, it's like us (in Las Vegas) going to Mexico," Miller said. "Nothing had ever happened there before. It's a popular resort for the Brits."

A 1996 graduate of Durango High School, Kristi Miller earned her associate's degree in California. She moved to England in January to work as her father's assistant at an English betting firm. She was a movie buff who enjoyed traveling, art and reading.

"Kristi was a good person with a good heart who loved to make people laugh," Miller said. "She was a beautiful, beautiful girl and a role model to her sisters."

After getting word of the terrorist attack he tried to reach both his daughter and Davies via cell phone, without success. He then flew from England to Egypt to look for his daughter after authorities said they had been unable to locate her.

He was met in Cairo by officials from the U.S. Embassy, who informed him that his daughter's body had been found in the bombing wreckage.

A liaison from the U.S. Embassy has "done everything for me," Miller said.

"He's called me every day, gave me step-by-step directions of what I had to do each minute. If it wasn't for him I would be a total, chaotic mess," Miller said. "He's also going to set up counseling. I'm going to need it, I think."

There was some confusion initially about Kristi Miller's fate, said her sister, 21-year-old Stephany Miller of Las Vegas. Egyptian officials had initially told the family she had been taken to a hospital near the Red Sea resort for treatment and later died. But U.S. Embassy officials now say they believe Miller died at the scene.

"They're telling us it was probably instantaneous, that she never knew what happened," Stephany Miller said.

Stephany Miller said her older sister and the 29-year-old Davies had fallen quickly in love after meeting at the betting firm where they both worked.

Kristi and Davies, a native of England, planned to relocate to Australia as part of their jobs and "begin their new life together," she said.

Kristi's extended family -- which includes aunt Ann Miller of Las Vegas, 12-year-old half-brother A.J. and mother Susan McNeely, both of Atlanta -- is still reeling, Stephany Miller said.

"She was very close to her family and very sentimental," Stephany Miller said of the sister whom she described as her best friend. "She cried at everything. Take her to a sad movie and boom, it was all over."

Deana Tubin, Kristina's best friend since childhood, said the two of them had planned since their freshman year at Durango High School to move to Britain.

"That was our dream since the beginning of high school," Tubin said.

"It was the hardest thing in the world for me," Tubin said of Kristina's move to London in January. "We didn't feel whole."

On the way to Egypt before boarding their flight, Kristina called Tubin when it was 3:30 a.m. in Las Vegas. She was excited about her vacation. She wanted to reach out to her friend once more.

"Since I was little, my grandmother has never said goodbye, we say, 'So long for now,' " Tubin said. "It was always 'so long' with her." She said "so long" before Kristina took off for Egypt.

Tubin said they were inseparable and did everything together.

"She was so vibrant, she was a bundle of energy," she said. "Kris offered unconditional love."

They became instant friends, sharing a love for the music of Dave Matthews and all things British, from roundabouts to shepherd's pie. When they turned 25, Kristina got a tattoo of "Justice" and Deana has "Veritas" or "truth" on the back of her neck.

"She was justice. We need justice right now," Tubin said.