After the murders of her mother and two sisters earlier this month, Kimberly Welch is asking for donations to raise $50,000 to pay for the funerals. Authorities found the bodies of Ida Welch, 76, and her daughters Crystal Welch, 42, and Vicky Welch, 56, at a home in Ridgeland, Miss., on May 12; the next day, Arizona state troopers shot and killed Ida Welch’s son Ivory James Welch III, a suspect who police say fled the state.
Crystal Welch, a professor at Mississippi College School of Law, was also the board president of the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi and the vice president of the Mississippi Free Press Board of Directors.
“The Welch Family appreciates your prayers and condolences. We are devastated by our loss and we’re not prepared for the cost of multiple funerals, estate matters and administrative services related to this tragedy,” the family’s GoFundMe fundraiser says. “I am Kimberly Welch, the only surviving sibling of my mother Ida Welch’s children. I want to give my mother and sisters (Vicky Welch & Crystal Lynn Welch) the memorial they deserve. I am currently asking for donations for the funeral and legal costs associated with this tragedy. Thank you for anything you are able to contribute.”
After about five days, the Welch family memorial fundraiser had already raised $25,838 from 314 donors by Monday, May 20.
