OXFORD WEEKLY PLANET
Friday, November 1, 2024
Daniels burial draws emotional crowd
| Bishop Hill chapel (File Photo) |
A dark cloud of anguish and bewilderment still hovered over the town here as Laurie Daniels was put to rest in Bishop Hill Cemetery today.
Friends, relatives, and other saddened townsfolk turned out en masse to offer their grief over the former Oxonian's horrifying death.
Nearly 300 mourners arrived at Bishop Hill's tiny chapel for the funeral, and the crowd spilled into the parking lot. Those who could not find a seat inside waited until the service moved outside to the gravesite.
Reverend Jonathan Everett gave a poignant service, and Daniels' former fiancé, Forrest Burgess, delivered a moving eulogy.
A gruesome death
Daniels, 25, was the victim of a brutal killing that has terrified the town. The Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department discovered her head in a bucket near Taylor Creek on October 26.
Several other body parts, later identified as Daniels', were found as far away as Toccopola, Bruce, and Batesville.
An investigation into Daniels' death is currently underway, and the sheriff's department maintained a visible presence at the memorial services, though whether it was to provide security or keep an eye out for possible suspects is unclear.
Remembering Laurie
A former prom queen and local teenage favorite, Daniels had been away from Oxford for seven years in various parts of the country before her ill-fated return.
Friends and family who tried to catch up with her over the years were met with disheartening news. Some heard she had abused drugs and alcohol, while others had reason to believe she was involved in bizarre religious sects.
Yet these rumors did not deter the people who loved and remembered her fondly from paying their final respects.
"We are all shattered and sore to the pit of our souls over the violence of Laurie's departure," said Burgess in his rousing address. "We yearn to know what drove her away from us and what led her to her end. Yet also we are afraid to seek answers to these questions."
A life cut short
Daniels was born on February 22, 1998. She grew up with her family in Oxford and graduated from Yoknapatawpha High School in eight years ago. She then briefly attended Northwest Community College before leaving town on a journey that reportedly led her all over the country.
She is survived by her parents, Bart and Bonnie Daniels of Oxford, and a sister, Melanie, 24, who also left town suddenly several years ago.