By ALEXANDER HITCHEN
Out of the tragedy comes a miracle of love.
Matt Wheeler was overcome with grief when he heard that his girlfriend, Whitney Cerak, had died in a horrific car accident in April. He spoke through tears at her funeral and wept at her flowerdraped casket. But in a stunning case of mistaken identity that has captivated the nation, authorities revealed that Whitney was alive after she was mixed up with another girl who died while traveling with her on that tragic evening.
In an exclusive interview with Matt’s father, The ENQUIRER has learned that the 18-year-old teen will now propose to the beloved girlfriend he thought he’d lost forever.
“Matt broke down at Whitney’s funeral. He read a poem where he said he always knew she was an angel — and now she had wings to prove it,” said Doug Wheeler, 52.
Before he found out that Whitney was alive “Matt was planning on having a wedding band tattooed on his finger with Whitney’s initials on it. Now he can enjoy buying the real thing for her.”
The story all of America is talking about began when Whitney, 19, was believed to be among five people killed when a truck hit the van she was riding in with other students from Taylor University, a Christian school in Indiana, on April 26. With the belongings of the victims scattered at the crash scene, authorities believe emergency services personnel mixed up the ID cards of Whitney and 22-year-old Laura VanRyn.
It was not until five weeks later — on May 31 — that the families and friends of the girls learned about the mistake.
Pick up The ENQUIRER to read more, including our exclusive interview with Whitney Cerak’s boyfriend’s father.
