McDaniels - Tantoy Support Fund

On the night of May 23rd, 2019, The McDaniels Family (Joseph -husband, Althea-wife, daughter-Christine & son-Joey) had been packing, they had recently sold the house and were moving to Mississippi. Grandparents (Bustaman & his wife) came by and visited the family. They were sitting in the living room, talking that evening about the move. They (Bustaman and his wife) left the house and the rest of the family continued packing inside. The suspect came back, knocked on the front door and said his wife had left her purse inside and was let in by Althea. Suspect then pulled a gun and started shooting. He shot Althea and Joseph in the living room and chased Christine upstairs. Investigators found the girl in a bedroom.

 
The McDaniels family left behind a 9 year-old son and Althea’s 59 year-old Mother, Merlita Tantoy. The young boy survived by running out of the house and seeking help from their neighbors several blocks away while his grandmother, Merlita escaped by breaking down, crawling through, and then jumping out of the second bedroom window before running to hide in the backyard bushes. 
All three died of multiple gun shots, according to the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner.

 
This is a story we find difficult to tell, as close friends of the family, yet it is a story we need to share in our efforts to seek financial assistance for both the young son and his grandmother.

 
Not only they are facing an unspeakable grief from losing their loved ones and the security of a complete family, they are also facing the daunting task of putting the pieces of their lives together which requires the aid of the generosity of their community.

 
This crowdfunding’s aim is to create a financial resource for both the young boy and his grandmother that they can readily access when needed during the lengthy process of settling the family affairs. This fund is going to be managed by  Merlita through her personal account.

We created this fundraiser as a way of expressing our support for the surviving family members during this very difficult time in their lives.

To the participants, our heartfelt gratitude for being a part of this campaign.