Amber Czech was a young, talented welder from Minnesota whose promising career and life were cut short in a shocking act of workplace violence in November 2025. Her death did more than devastate her family and hometown community; it sparked a nationwide conversation about the safety of women working in male-dominated trades. This article brings together the full, detailed story of Amber Czech, from her childhood and education to her career, the tragic circumstances of her death, the ongoing legal case, and the lasting impact her story has had on the skilled trades industry.
Who Was Amber Czech?
Amber Mary Czech was born on July 11, 2005, in Hutchinson, Minnesota, to parents Peter and Angela Czech. She was raised alongside her siblings, Zoey Czech and Caleb Czech, in a tight-knit family that later became the emotional center of public tributes following her passing. She was also remembered for her close bond with a large extended family, including grandparents Dennis and Janice Konerza and Virgil and Sheila Czech, along with numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins who spoke publicly about her warmth and determination.
From childhood, Amber displayed a strong sense of independence and a hands-on curiosity that would eventually shape her career path. She attended St. Anastasia Catholic School in Hutchinson through sixth grade before continuing her education in the local public school system. Those early years helped build the foundation of discipline and community connection that friends and family say defined her throughout her short life.
Education and Early Achievements
Amber graduated from Hutchinson High School with the class of 2023, a milestone that also marked the end of her competitive athletic career. During her time at Hutchinson High, she played basketball for the Hutchinson Tigers, a detail her former coaches and teammates fondly recalled after news of her death broke. Teachers and classmates described her as hardworking, disciplined, and unafraid to pursue paths less commonly chosen by young women in her community.
After graduating high school, Amber enrolled in a ten-month welding technology program at Alexandria Technical and Community College. She completed the program in May 2024, graduating with honors, a significant accomplishment in a technically demanding field. Welding requires precision, physical stamina, and strong problem-solving skills, and Amber’s honors distinction reflected both her natural aptitude and her disciplined work ethic during her training.
Building a Career in Welding
In July 2024, shortly after completing her education, Amber began working as a welder at Advanced Process Technologies, a manufacturing facility in Cokato, Minnesota that specializes in producing food-processing equipment. She quickly became known among coworkers and supervisors as a dedicated, hardworking tradeswoman who took genuine pride in the quality of her work.
Beyond her full-time job, Amber remained deeply connected to her roots in Hutchinson. On days off from the plant, she volunteered her time teaching welding to students at her former high school, helping introduce younger students, including young women, to a trade still heavily dominated by men. Nationally, women make up only about six percent of welders, making Amber’s presence in the field, and her willingness to mentor others, especially meaningful to those who knew her.
The Morning of November 11, 2025
On the morning of November 11, 2025, Amber Czech arrived for what should have been an ordinary shift at Advanced Process Technologies. Around 6 a.m., the Wright County Sheriff’s Office received reports of a woman suffering significant head trauma at the facility. Deputies responded quickly, but despite life-saving efforts at the scene, Amber was pronounced dead shortly after emergency responders arrived.
According to law enforcement, deputies discovered a bloody sledgehammer near Amber’s body at her welding station inside the plant. Investigators later reviewed surveillance footage from inside the facility, which reportedly showed a coworker approaching Amber’s station, retrieving a sledgehammer, and striking her multiple times. The sudden brutality of the attack shocked the small city of Cokato, home to roughly 2,700 residents, and quickly drew coverage from local, regional, and national news outlets.
Criminal Charges Against David Delong
Following the investigation, the Wright County Attorney’s Office, led by Attorney Brian Lutes, filed charges against 40-year-old David Bruce Delong of Watkins, Minnesota, a coworker of Amber’s at the plant. Delong was charged with second-degree intentional murder in connection with her death. The criminal complaint detailed that surveillance video showed Delong entering the facility, putting on gloves, and walking directly toward Amber’s workstation before the fatal attack took place.
Court documents revealed that Delong told investigators he had been planning the attack for some time and stated simply that he did not like Amber. No specific workplace dispute, altercation, or clear motive was disclosed by prosecutors, a detail that added to the disturbing and unsettling nature of the case for both Amber’s family and the wider public following the story. The case was submitted for grand jury review as part of the standard process for serious criminal charges of this severity in Minnesota.
Legal Developments and the Competency Ruling
As the criminal case against David Delong moved through the Wright County court system, questions emerged regarding his mental competency to stand trial. In a development reported in the spring of 2026, the court determined that Delong was incompetent to stand trial at that stage, a ruling that paused the traditional path toward a criminal trial while further evaluations take place.
A finding of incompetency does not mean the charges are dismissed, but it typically means the legal process shifts toward mental health evaluation and potential treatment before any trial can move forward. For Amber’s family, this stage of the legal process has added an additional layer of uncertainty and delay to their pursuit of justice, a common and painful reality for many families navigating similar competency proceedings in serious criminal cases.
Reaction From the Trades Community
Amber Czech’s death sent ripples of grief and outrage throughout the construction and welding trades community nationwide. The North America’s Building Trades Unions released a statement mourning her death, with union president Sean McGarvey describing her as someone who exemplified the very best of the construction workforce through her determination, professionalism, and compassion, despite not being a formal union member.
The National Association of Women in Construction, known as NAWIC, held an emergency town hall just days after her death to discuss the tragedy and push for stronger systemic protections for women working in physically demanding, male-dominated industries. NAWIC’s president, Rita Brown, publicly noted that Amber’s death echoed the 2017 murder of Outi Hicks, an apprentice carpenter killed by a coworker in Fresno, California, and expressed frustration that meaningful change within the industry had been far too slow since that earlier tragedy.
A Broader Conversation on Workplace Safety for Women
Amber’s death reignited long-standing concerns about the safety, treatment, and inclusion of women in the skilled trades. Advocacy groups and labor organizations pointed out that although programs like the “Be That One Guy” bystander intervention campaign emerged following Hicks’ murder in 2017, incidents of harassment, isolation, and workplace danger for tradeswomen have continued in the years since. Many women working in welding and construction shared their own stories online following Amber’s death, describing similar experiences of exclusion or hostility from male coworkers.
The SMART Union’s Women’s Committee also released a public statement addressing the tragedy, emphasizing that although Amber was not affiliated with their union, her death reverberated across the entire trades community and beyond. The statement highlighted disturbing details from the criminal complaint, noting that the accused had admitted to planning the attack simply because he did not like her, a motive the committee described as utterly unacceptable under any circumstances.
Community Tributes and Continued Support
In the aftermath of her death, the Hutchinson and Cokato communities rallied around Amber’s grieving family through memorial services, fundraisers, and small acts of remembrance. A boutique based in Big Lake, Minnesota, created a collection of stickers and other memorial items honoring Amber, with all proceeds donated directly to her family to help ease their financial and emotional burden during an incredibly difficult time.
Funeral arrangements handled by Hantge McBride Hughes Funeral Chapels listed a long roster of surviving family members, underscoring just how large and connected Amber’s extended family truly was. Tributes poured in not only from those who personally knew her but also from tradeswomen across the country who had never met Amber but felt a deep connection to her story simply because they, too, understood the risks and isolation that can come with working in a male-dominated field.
Conclusion
Amber Czech’s story is one of talent, hard work, and tragic loss that has left a lasting mark far beyond her hometown of Hutchinson, Minnesota. From her achievements in welding school to her dedication as a young tradeswoman and mentor, Amber represented the very best of what the skilled trades can offer to a new generation of workers. Her death in November 2025, and the ongoing legal proceedings against David Delong, including the recent competency ruling, continue to draw attention to serious gaps in workplace safety for women in physically demanding industries. As her family awaits justice and the broader trades community continues pushing for meaningful reform, Amber Czech’s name remains a powerful symbol of both the progress still needed and the passion and dedication she brought to a craft she truly loved.