BOONE COUNTY, Ind. -- The loss of a loved one in the line of duty is a tragedy only a select few can truly understand, that’s why a group of survivors is rallying around the wife of fallen Deputy Jacob Pickett to make sure she gets the support she needs during the most difficult time of her life.
Indiana Concerns of Police Survivors is the state chapter of a nationwide organization made up of spouses, siblings and parents who have all lost a loved one in the line of duty. Their main goal is to make sure they are there for Deputy Pickett’s wife now and long after the memorials and services are finished as she works toward moving on with her life – without her husband by her side.
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“That’s when the rough times really begin,” says Betty Jones-Taylor. “When everybody else goes away and you’re left with a whole different life than you’ve had before.”
Jones-Taylor understands the loss all too well. She was left alone with three children, all under the age of six when her husband, Roy, was killed in 1979 in a crash while on-duty as an Indiana State Police trooper.
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“There is no normal,” said Betty Jones-Taylor. “You have to build that new normal and those of us who have done that, realize that, so we try to be there in the middle of the night for phone calls or whenever they need someone.”
Members of the group met with Deputy Pickett’s wife on Monday and are helping with funeral arrangements and other things that need to be done in the coming days.
READ | Deputy Jacob Pickett fatally wounded duringpursuit | Photos: Cruiser memorial for Deputy Pickett | Sheriff Nielsen arrests man accused of fatally shooting Deputy Pickett | What led to the fatal shooting of Deputy Jacob Pickett? | Deputy Pickett's cruiser memorialized in front of Boone County Sheriff's Office
