MANSFIELD, Texas — As the number of homicides in DFW continues to rise, the Mansfield Funeral Home is offering help to families in the best way it can: funeral services.
"There's always a way to help," said funeral home owner Christie K. Moore.
The funeral home posted the offer to Facebook last week. They will donate a basic casket or cremation for victims of violence, and they will also waive funeral service charges. Moore said together, that could save families more than $3,000 after they are tasked with the sudden burden of burial.
"There may be other expenses, but this does take care of the bulk of what they would have to pay," Moore said.
Moore has seen the uptick in violence in recent weeks, and she knows firsthand how difficult it can be for families to care for deceased relatives, particularly in times of crisis.
She said she grew up in Oak Cliff, surrounded by violence, and she sees this as a chance to help people in desperate need.
Already, roughly a dozen families have reached out. "We've had people calling us all day, all yesterday about it," she said.
One of those callers was Rebecca Shingledecker, who recently lost her close friend Jennifer Diaz to violent crime. Shingledecker said that Diaz was a victim of trafficking who was murdered in a west Fort Worth hotel last week. She wanted to see that she was given dignity in death.
"When I agreed to take custody of her body, I knew that God would provide. But God provides in various ways. And this is one of them," Shingledecker said.
She had no idea how she was going to pay for a funeral for her friend, but then she heard about the Mansfield offer and reached out. While details are still being ironed out, she called the offer an amazing gift.
"This is just a way that we can honor her and not have her just go and be in an unmarked grave," Shingledecker said.