Bastrop Tree of Angels honors loved ones lost to violent crime
BASTROP, Texas - Family and friends are honoring their loved ones by placing ornaments on the Tree of Angels in Bastrop.
Each ornament represents a victim of violent crime.
"I don’t just place the ornaments without thinking about it, I read the names and honestly, I say prayers for the family," said Lisa Jackson, director of crime victim services with the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office.
Crystal, golden, large, small, ornate, and handmade, the ornaments represent people impacted by violent crime. Jackson knows the names as she’s been with the Sheriff’s Office for almost 25 years.
"I meet amazing people under extremely difficult situations," Jackson said.
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About eight years ago, she made a call to Maria Jefferson.
"She told me, your baby is gone. I’m like, what?" Jessica Brown’s mother, Maria Jefferson, said.
In June 2016, 32-year-old Jessica Brown was delivering newspapers to homes along a rural road in Bastrop County when she was shot. She was found dead in her car after it had crashed into a tree.
"She had a lot of life, a lot of life, very loving, very caring," Jefferson said.
The case remains unsolved.
"To this day, I just wish that person would come forward, so we can rest, so I can have closure, that’s all I need," Jefferson said.
That is what the Loving family wants, too.
"We want answers," Leslie Loving’s brother Aubrey Loving said.
"We want answers," his sister Charlene Loving-Thompson said.
On April 1, 2022, 37-year-old Leslie Loving was found dead on the side of US 290, just east of Elgin in Bastrop County. He was killed in an apparent hit-and-run.
"Outgoing, so sweet, kind, helped everyone," Loving-Thompson said.
"Vibrant, energetic, sweet, caring, kind, considerate, loving," Loving said.
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The Tree of Angels is a sacred place for family and friends to remember and pray.
"I think that this tree is helping keep them alive in a way," Jefferson said.
"You don’t know when they’ll be here, when they’re leaving, just love your family," Loving-Thompson said.
The Tree of Angels at the First National Bank in Bastrop has about 200 ornaments.
The Source: Information in this report came from reporting by FOX 7 Austin's Meredith Aldis.