Thieves target memorial for Derek Greer and Natalie Partida
Thieves have targeted the memorial near Old Pueblo Road where Derek Greer and Natalie Partida were found murdered, execution-style, two years ago.
Derek’s mom and dad say this it’s one of the few places they have to go back to.
They visit often with flowers, balloons and decorations. But when they visited Friday, they were shocked to find most of it stolen.
“These were kids that didn’t deserve to be taken from here and then they’re still being victimized. Like we’ve been victimized enough,” said Heather Ferguson, Derek’s mom.
The memorial has come to mean everything to her and her family. It’s the place Derek spent his last moments.
“This is the only place we have to come to that we feel connected to our son’s spirit, said Jeff Ferguson, Derek’s dad.
It’s become the spot they can visit to heal and remember the lives taken too soon.
“When they’re gone too early, you have to find somewhere for that love to go, and I’ve been focusing all my love out here to make it a bright, beautiful place where a horrible tragedy occurred,” Heather said.
Solar powered lights and mementos she says she placed in her son’s memory. A gesture of love all now gone. She says the sense of peace she once felt there is now gone as well – knowing even her murdered son’s memorial isn’t safe at the hands of thieves.
“We were just out here two weeks ago and we brought a bunch of solar lights to make it bright and pretty out here at night and we came today to bring some more butterfly solar lights and that’s when I noticed that all the lights were gone,” Heather said.
It’s left her and her husband heartbroken, wondering why anyone would do such a thing.
“These had more than just a price value which they did cost a lot, but they had more than a price value,” she said.
The memorial has been on Old Pueblo Rd. for two years now and the family says no one has ever stolen anything from it. They’re now asking the people who took the items to return them, out of respect for the memorial site.
