LaFAYETTE, Ga. —A quiet procession followed a horse-drawn carriage with Theresa Parker’s casket Saturday as family and friends walked the few blocks from LaFayette First Baptist Church to the city cemetary.
Saturday was the final chapter in the family’s long journey to bury Parke, the Walker County 911 dispatcher who went missing in 2007.
Community members huddled on opposite sides of the road and officers saluted as the former 911 dispatcher was taken to her grave site.
“This community has never given up on finding Theresa,” said Jon Wilson, Theresa Parker’s brother-in-law, said after the funeral. “In the wake of such a tragic ordeal which no family should ever have to endure, we could never express our gratitude. She’ll be remembered.”
To her nieces and nephews, Theresa Parker was another mom.
Niece Amanda Hill said she remembered her aunt being there to help celebrate every family event.
“She was the glue to the family,” she said. “She kind of pulled everybody together and make sure everybody was there and had a big family gathering.”
Joy Lukachick covers crime in North Georgia for the Chattanooga Times Free Press. She started working at the paper in July 2009 as an intern. Raised near the Bayou, Joy’s hometown is along the outskirts of Baton Rouge, La. She has a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Louisiana State University. While at LSU, Joy was a staff writer for the Daily Reveille. When Joy isn't chasing down stories, she is a full-time supporter of ...
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