Family of woman found dead in homeless encampment in East Austin speaks out

The family of a dead woman found in a homeless encampment last week is speaking out to share her story and how unfairly her body was treated by city officials. Austin Police confirm they found her body right before a scheduled cleanup was set to take place. 

Her family returned to that location to hold a memorial.

"My heart is broken into 1,000 pieces right now. She did not deserve to die this way. Not like this," said Mary Gallegos, Rosemary’s Aunt.

In a park right off South Pleasant Valley Road in East Austin, family members returned to the place their beloved Rosemary died.

"She was out here because she loves the water. She always loved the water," said Gallegos.

Rosemary was known to her family as a quiet person with a heart of gold.

Her family says they were unaware Rosemary was living in a homeless encampment in East Austin. In fact, the family says they hadn't seen or heard from her in years, but, for the slim few who have, she was not someone they recognized.

"I saw her last year in September. I talked to her, but she didn't even know who I was. She lost her reality to everything because of the choice of life she chose, but she did have a family that loved her," said Linda Covarrubias, Rosemary’s sister.

Her family says Rosemary was a sweet person who just fell through hard times. They had no idea she was staying in this location where she was found dead. Her family says APD and other city officials completely disrespected her body.

"They kept on with their cleanup with no respect whatsoever to my sister, and I'm very angry about that. I'm very hurt. I hope that none of y'all ever have to go through what we're going through right now," said Covarrubias.

One of the organizations that were on scene when Rosemary was found was "We Can Now." They believe city officials also disrespected her body and say they left her inside the tent while conducting the cleanup for about three hours. 

President of the nonprofit, Antony Jackson, says he made sure to get in contact with the family to hold this memorial.

"It's a blessing to see the family because you get to see how strong she was through the family, you get to see how beautiful she was, as they show us pictures and tell us about memories," he said.

Rosemary’s family hopes speaking out lets people know that she was loved even if she was living in an encampment. They also hope the city rethinks how they treat others like her.

"She was loved and she did have a family. She was so disrespected. They could have just given her a little bit of time just for them to come and pick up the body, but they didn't. She's already suffered a lot, and not just because she’s my sister. Any human life deserves that. Just because you're homeless, it doesn't give you the right to treat them like they are trash," said Covarrubias.

A GoFundMe has been set up by the family to help with funeral expenses.

FOX 7 Austin reached out to APD for a response on this situation, a spokesperson for the department referred FOX 7 to the previous statement they sent us last week:

"AFD and EMS responded to the scene before APD arrived for the park clean-up. During APD’s initial investigation, all activities related to the clean-up were halted. PARD, ARR, and APD agreed that the clean-up would be delayed until it was determined that the area was not a crime scene to preserve. Homicide was contacted by officers on scene and decided they would not respond after a preliminary investigation indicated that the death was not suspicious. The immediate area had been cordoned off by crime scene tape, which remained up and around the deceased’s tent until after the Medical Examiner transported the decedent. The property of the person who died was collected at the scene.

The Austin Police fully recognizes and appreciates the value of human life. Crime scene tape was put up to preserve the dignity and respect of the deceased and to preserve the integrity of a potential crime scene."

This statement is from a City of Austin Spokesperson: 

"Weeks, if not months of planning, have taken place among several City departments for this clean-up to take place. Due to the significant amount of resources allocated to the area (numerous pieces of equipment and manpower), pending inclement weather, and as the clean-up in no way interfered with the investigation or the handling of the deceased or their property, the scheduled clean-up went ahead. APD and City partners – including Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Austin Resource Recovery and Watershed Protection – are taking a responsible approach to enforcing the public camping ban and working with the people who are impacted. The City’s Homeless Outreach Street Team and Downtown Austin Community Court social workers are helping to make sure individuals experiencing homelessness can access support services. Meanwhile, under the Housing-Focused Encampment Assistance Link (HEAL) Initiative, 182 people living in six of the most unsafe encampments have been relocated to rooms at City-owned bridge shelters and linked to long-term housing. Over a 12-month period, the City and its partners successfully moved more than 1,700 people into housing and out of homelessness. City leaders continue to caution that overall community crisis shelter capacity remains extremely limited. For as long as this is the case, as encampments are cleared in one location, the number of tents will inevitably grow in other areas. That’s why the increase in resources to address homelessness is so important. Last June, Austin City Council voted to dedicate $106.7 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds toward addressing homelessness. Travis County Commissioners Court voted in September to allocate $110 million in ARPA funds to build housing units for people experiencing homelessness in the Austin area. The City is also expanding capacity for crisis services, case management, behavioral health, and rehousing programs."

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MORE HEADLINES:
Body found at East Austin homeless encampment moments before clean-up

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