[7][8] On April 26, 2006, a Taylor University van carrying nine students and staff members collided with a tractor-trailer being driven by Robert F. Spencer on Interstate 69 in Indiana.

[6][9] Five people riding in the van died at the crash scene: Elizabeth Smith, Laurel Erb, Bradley Larson, and Monica Felver, and a young blonde woman the coroner identified as Whitney Cerak.

[10] Some physical similarities existed between the two women, but the severity of the injuries, which included severe head trauma and the immediate inability to communicate, led local government officials to misidentify the casualties and the hospital to carry through with the unfortunate action, causing both families to respond in a manner appropriate to the situation of each casualty: Cerak was taken care of by the van Ryn family in the belief that she was their daughter.

Five weeks passed before incidents arose that caused suspicion about identity: she made comments about things and people that were inconsistent with facts pertaining to Laura, and a university roommate also reported some physical discrepancies.

The van Ryns admitted that their duplicity in sustaining the misidentification for a month was reinforced by reassurance by the hospital staff of the patient's identity and the distress of the situation.