ORLANDO, Fla. — A casket draped with white and blue flowers entered Orlando West Ministries Saturday morning.
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Dressed in all black, blue, and white, the community came together to say goodbye to Shakeira Rucker.
It was a day filled with mourning, remembering, and celebrating her 37 years of life.
It was also a day to share an important message and speak out against violence nobody deserves to experience and a senseless act that has left four kids without a mother.
Read: ‘This is just the beginning’: says Shakeira Rucker’s mom after Cory Hill formally charged
“No man or woman should be abused physically, mentally, emotionally,” said the pastor presiding over the funeral. “Check yourself.”
Family and friends, too distraught to speak with Channel 9 on Saturday, sang and danced in honor of Rucker.
A life they celebrated because back in November after a weeklong search, Orange County deputies said her body was found behind a stack of tires in a self-storage facility registered to her estranged husband, Cory Hill, in Apopka.
Deputies said Hill was the last person she was with. They were seen on surveillance video entering the storage facility.
Hill was seen leaving that facility alone.
He is now facing a second-degree murder charge, and now, only memories of the beautiful mother, daughter, and friend remain with Rucker’s family.
Read: UCF professor says fatal DV cases have common factors
If you are in a relationship and may be in danger, there are resources available. You can reach Florida’s domestic violence hotline at 1-800-500-1119. Someone will pick up the phone any time, day or night.
Additional resources include:
- StandUp Survivor 24/7 survivor hotline: 321-430-5307
- Harbor House: 407-886-2856
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1800-799-7233
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