After Sarah Gibbs was murdered on the night of Dec. 19, her family became more aware of how much the 34-year-old autistic woman was part of the Warsaw community.
The crime not yet solved, her family is planning a Justice For Sarah Gibbs Rally at 1 p.m. Sept. 26 at the northwest corner of the Kosciusko Fairgrounds, according to her father, Howard Gibbs, Monday afternoon.
Sarah was born Sept. 24, 1980.
On Dec. 19, 2014, as crews extinguished a house fire in the 1000 block of Smith Street in Warsaw, they discovered Gibbs’ body, according to the South Bend Crime Stoppers website. An autopsy determined she had been murdered prior to the fire. A Kosciusko agency has put up a $10,000 reward for information leading to her killer, which Howard said still stands.
He said his family lived in Atwood for about 17 years, moving there shortly after finding out Sarah was autistic. At that time, Warsaw Community Schools was the only school district doing much with handicapped kids, he said. In late 1999, Sarah became a Cardinal Center client, and she moved into the duplex across from the fairgrounds, residing there for 14 years.
The Sept. 26 rally started out as a way to make the public aware of the crime and that the case hasn’t been solved yet, Howard said. As the family became more aware of his daughter’s life in the community, the rally became a celebration of Sarah’s life.
During the rally, Howard will speak about Sarah.
She had taken Zumba classes at the YMCA, and the other women who took classes with her will put on a demonstration during the rally, using Sarah’s favorite music.
Howard said he didn’t expect the rally to last more than one hour.
Sarah liked to help out each year at Soul Takers Acres, the haunted house held each year at the fairgrounds. This year, Soul Takers Acres will be dedicated to her, Howard said.
The Facebook page for the rally can be found under “Justice For Sarah Gibbs.” The Crime Stoppers website on the crime is at http://southbend.crimestoppersweb.com/crimeoftheweek.aspx
Soul Takers Acres’ website is www.soultakersacres.com
For more information or to get involved in the rally, contact Howard or Betty Gibbs at 574-936-3356. It’s a landline, but does have voicemail, and Sarah’s parents will be happy to return calls, he said.
(Story By The Times Union)
