Ask Tiffany Welchance to talk about her older brother, Riley, and the first thing she does is smile.”He was such a big teddy bear. The biggest thing that we can ever say about Riley was he was a teddy bear. He was the most loving person ever,” Tiffany said. “He would walk into a room. He’d light up the room. He was the life of a party.” Riley was known for his ability to make anyone laugh and brighten any day, but his biggest smiles were always reserved for his daughter, Lily. “Anything for his daughter. His daughter was his life,” Tiffany said. Now, Tiffany and the rest of the Welchance family is seeking justice nearly six months after Riley was killed in a DUI crash in Port St. Lucie on Thanksgiving night, 2025.Riley was a passenger in an off-road vehicle on SE Port St. Lucie Boulevard in Port St. Lucie. The driver made a left turn in front of an oncoming SUV, and Riley was killed by the impact. “Agonizing. Dreadful. Hurtful,” Welchance said, describing the loss. “It’s an empty space in our hearts. It’ll never be filled.”On Monday, the man police said was driving the off-road vehicle, Ryan Burdick, was arrested and charged with DUI manslaughter. According to a news release from Port St. Lucie police, Burdick was very drunk, with a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit. The arrest brought some relief to the Welchance family. “There’s nothing that’s going to bring back my brother. There’s nothing that’s going to fill that void. But nobody should be able to walk free from what he did,” Tiffany said. Tiffany said she plans to follow the case closely, seeking justice for Riley. However, she hopes people will remember Riley not for how he died, but for how he smiled, how he laughed, and how he lived. “I’ll never forget him. He makes me smile every day. I’m proud to be his sister,” Tiffany said.Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here. Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. —
Ask Tiffany Welchance to talk about her older brother, Riley, and the first thing she does is smile.
“He was such a big teddy bear. The biggest thing that we can ever say about Riley was he was a teddy bear. He was the most loving person ever,” Tiffany said. “He would walk into a room. He’d light up the room. He was the life of a party.”
Riley was known for his ability to make anyone laugh and brighten any day, but his biggest smiles were always reserved for his daughter, Lily.
“Anything for his daughter. His daughter was his life,” Tiffany said.
Now, Tiffany and the rest of the Welchance family is seeking justice nearly six months after Riley was killed in a DUI crash in Port St. Lucie on Thanksgiving night, 2025.
Riley was a passenger in an off-road vehicle on SE Port St. Lucie Boulevard in Port St. Lucie.
The driver made a left turn in front of an oncoming SUV, and Riley was killed by the impact.
“Agonizing. Dreadful. Hurtful,” Welchance said, describing the loss. “It’s an empty space in our hearts. It’ll never be filled.”
On Monday, the man police said was driving the off-road vehicle, Ryan Burdick, was arrested and charged with DUI manslaughter.
According to a news release from Port St. Lucie police, Burdick was very drunk, with a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit.
The arrest brought some relief to the Welchance family.
“There’s nothing that’s going to bring back my brother. There’s nothing that’s going to fill that void. But nobody should be able to walk free from what he did,” Tiffany said.
Tiffany said she plans to follow the case closely, seeking justice for Riley.
However, she hopes people will remember Riley not for how he died, but for how he smiled, how he laughed, and how he lived.
“I’ll never forget him. He makes me smile every day. I’m proud to be his sister,” Tiffany said.
Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25
Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.
Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News