HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — One of the most emotionally painful things that people can experience is the loss of a loved one.
Beautiful, kind, smart, and a good mother are all words that Elberta Crouch uses to describe her daughter, Racheal Crouch who was tragically killed exactly one year ago.
Elberta explained how after she received the call that her daughter was murdered on September 24, 2023, her life was forever changed for the worst.
According to police, officers were dispatched to a home on Belmoor Drive with reports of a shooting.
After they made it to the scene authorities said that they noticed a vehicle with a 33-year-old woman suffering from gunshot wounds sitting inside. The woman, later identified as Racheal Crouch, later died due to those injuries.
Since then, police have identified the alleged killer as 24-year-old Donovan Cuthbertson, who is from Gould, Arkansas.
Elberta shared that though no amount of time will make the pain go away, she has found a sense of peace by remembering the little things about her daughter.
"I just have to look at her pictures and keep her around the house and remember her as the way she was," Elberta Crouch said.
She also shared that Racheal had the kind of personality where she would help anyone— even a stranger.
"If they needed something to eat, she'd go out and feed them, if they needed clothes, she'd take her clothes off her back. She was just that kind of person," Elberta said.
Now, she said is making it her mission to find justice for Racheal and will use every breath in her body to do so.
As Cuthbertson waits for his trial to begin, Elberta says she has one message for her daughter's alleged killer.
"I don't want any mother to have to go through what I had to go through, I'm looking for justice without any chance of parole," she added.
We are still waiting to learn when the trial is set to begin but Cuthbertson's next appearance in court is set for December 5, 2024.