‘My heart is back mended’: Hurricane Katrina victim’s family reconnected to remains 19 years later

BILOXI, Miss. ( WKRG ) — A Hurricane Katrina victim’s family finally has closure as Tonie Waltman got to hold her mom’s ashes.

It’s a full-circle moment for the family of Tonette Waltman Jackson. It is also a full-circle moment that WKRG News 5 has been covering since 2005 when former News 5 reporter Jennifer Mayerle spoke to Tonette Waltman Jackson’s husband, Hardy Jackson.

The moment was all made possible thanks to DNA testing.

Up until May of this year, Tonette Jackson’s remains were not found. However, DNA testing changed that when remains buried under a headstone reading “Jane Love” were matched to Tonette, News 5’s Asher Redd reported .

Pascagoula Police Lt. Darren Versiga, who was involved with the discovery of Jackson’s remains, noted the significance of the closure, saying “This has been the most rewarding for me to give someone their name back and give the family a somewhat closure.”

But giving Tonette Jackson back her name was not enough for one funeral home.

Heritage Funeral Home in nearby Mosspoint learned of the discovery of Tonette Jackson’s remains and reached out to the family. Officials with the funeral home said they wanted to do their part by donating to Tonette’s cremation.

“We all hold Katrina victims dear to our hearts,” Ashleigh with the funeral home said. “I knew that if they would have us we wanted to help get her back home to her daughter so she would be back with her family.”

For Tonie, the community coming together for her family has healed some of that heartache.

“Knowing they went above and beyond that says a lot and that will help me close this chapter and be able to move on,” Tonie said. “I feel like my heart is back mended.”

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