LOUISA COUNTY, Va. -- A funeral service was held on Sunday for a Louisa County woman whose death went unnoticed for an entire year.
Toni Anderson's untimely passing had a huge impact on sheriff's deputies, who say she deserved a proper service.
Anderson lived a quiet life and even her funeral service Sunday reflected the simplicity she so desired.
"It is awesome to know at least she was around friends,” Clinton Carroll, Anderson’s cousin, said.
A small group of relatives and friends gathered at a Louisa church to honor a woman who died more than a year ago, but whose death went unnoticed.
Toni Anderson
"Even after her death, that they came together to give her a home going, because they didn't have to do it," Carroll said.
Investigators believe Anderson died in her sleep inside her mobile home sometime between September and December of last year. She was in her early 50s, lived alone and didn't have a job.
It was not until a concerned neighbor who had not seen her in months, went through an open back window and discovered her remains in a bed.
But ever after the discovery of a body, Louisa sheriff's deputies couldn't find nearby relatives or family that could easily afford to pay funeral expenses.
That prompted Mark Stanton and other Louisa officers to rally the community.
"In this case, part of it trying to find family members. It kind of added a whole new personal side to it," Stanton said.
So far $1,900 has been raised. While it wasn't quite enough to cover expenses, Thomassson Watson funeral home agreed to provide a service, so the family could say their goodbyes in peace.
"I couldn't have done it without them," Carroll said.
Sheriff's deputies said they are still collecting funds for funeral expenses, which came to around $2500.
