Tyler, Susan, Miles Campbell | The murdered Garner family left a lasting mark on friends and neighbors: “Everyone loved them”

GARNER, N.C. (WTVD) – A neighbor and close friend of the Garner family who died in a car accident clings to the memories she will cherish forever.

Allie Oxtoby has known Tyler, Susan and Miles Campbell since they moved into the house next door to her in 2021.

“I was pretty excited when I saw that they were young people. Traditionally, this neighborhood doesn’t always have people my age. So I went straight up to her, introduced myself and liked her immediately,” Oxtoby said.

During the years she knew the Campbells, they bonded over frequent dinners, attended the same church, and took family walks together.

Oxtoby and her husband have a three-year-old son. He and Miles Campbell, 8, often played together and enjoyed family walks.

“Everyone here loved them. They were such good neighbors,” Oxtoby said. “They were just such role models in building relationships and having their friends over all the time. My husband and I were always amazed at how often they would have friends on their porch and chat with them. How involved they were in our lives and the lives of their other friends. They juggled so many relationships so well.”

The Oxtobys were at home celebrating their anniversary on Monday evening when they learned the tragic news about their dear friends.

“I noticed we had several missed calls from Kathy, Tyler’s mom. So one of our neighbors came over to watch Jack and we went to the hospital,” she said.

Tyler, Susan and Miles were driving along New Rand Road around 1:30 p.m. on Monday when another driver ran a red light and crashed into them. That driver, later identified as Jordan Alexander Porter, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

Tyler and Susan died in the accident. Miles was taken to the hospital but was pronounced brain dead at 6:18 p.m. Tuesday. According to the family, he will be an organ donor

Miles just finished his first season in the Pinto League last week. He won the team’s Sportsmanship Award, which was well deserved, said assistant coach Cutler Harris.

“He was kind. He was always optimistic. He was always encouraging,” Harris said. “Even when things were going bad … he was still smiling. That’s just a real testament to the kind of kid he was.”

The Oxtobys stayed in the hospital most of Tuesday, hoping that doctors could perform a miracle and save Miles.

“They felt like family to us. We will continue to remember them when we celebrate holidays or anything like that. And as unfortunate as it is, we were able to meet some of their other friends that we didn’t know, and I think that could be the start of more friendships where we can continue to build relationships with people that loved them,” Oxtoby said.

History of traffic violations

Court records obtained by ABC11 show that Porter already had a long history of traffic violations.

They date back to 2015 and vary in severity. All but two of the charges were dropped. The circumstances of the dropping were not immediately clear.

Porter was charged and pleaded guilty to drinking alcohol while under 21 and failure to control lane on New Year’s Day 2018. In June 2015, he was found guilty of running a red light, police charged Monday. Court records also showed he received a speeding ticket last month for going 21 miles per hour too fast. That case is still working through the system.

ABC11 contacted Porter’s mother but did not receive a response. ABC11 also contacted his wife, who declined to comment on Monday’s fatal accident.

Garner police said more charges are expected, but it will take several days.