She visited the spot where her dad died every year. Then the plaque honoring the Richmond officer disappeared

RICHMOND, Va. -- Every year, Joanne Jarrelle Jones makes sure to stop outside of 200 West Marshall Street, what is now Gallery 5, in Jackson Ward.

In 1973, it was a Food Stamp distribution office. On Aug. 1 of that year, her father, Vernon Jarrelle, a Richmond Police officer, responded to a robbery in progress at the office.

He was shot and killed during an altercation with the assailants, killing one of them in return fire.

Two other people were arrested for his murder and for the robbery.

Jones was only three years at the time.

"Loved his family, and loved being a policeman, just for the short amount of time, that's what he wanted to do. And he enjoyed it, according to my mom," Jones said.

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Years later, a plaque was placed on the side of the building, sharing Jarrelle's story, a reminder of the fateful day a father was taken away from his family.

"I was robbed from my father, and my father was robbed from me," Jones said.

As the years went by, Jones continued to visit the site, until one day this year, before the anniversary of her dad's passing, she noticed something was different.

"It's gone," Jones recounted saying. "Where did it go?"

"I got kind of angry," she said. "I'm like, who would just take this down, probably throw it away? Think it was nothing? That it was old?"

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Almost immediately, Jones put out an inquiry, asking Richmond Police if the department knew the whereabouts of the plaque.

About 40 days of searching with a team of officers and current owners and operators of Gallery 5 led up to Thursday morning, a moment Jones said she'll never forget.

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At RPD's headquarters, the department held a special celebration for Jones, unveiling the plaque, finally freed from its hiding spot in a storage unit, placed there upon renovations to the old building it once hung on.

"It's not just for my father, but for all the officers who have given their lives," Jones said.

Finally holding the plaque in her hands, the story of her hero is finally returning home, set to be placed in its original spot Monday, Oct. 30.

"To some people, it probably doesn't mean a lot, but to me, it means a lot," Jones said. "It gives me a great deal of pleasure because he knows that I've never forgotten, and I never will."