(Estherville)– A memorial fund has been established for the family of Tina Triggs-Conde of Estherville to help cover funeral and related expenses.
Estherville police positively identified the remains of Tina Triggs-Conde Saturday. They were received by Friday by an Estherville funeral home.
The remains were sent back to Estherville from authorities in Mexico, where her body was discovered by a farmer in December, 2003. She hadn’t been heard from since October 26th, 2003 when she made a phone call to her mother, Sandy Triggs of Estherville.
It’s believed Tina suffered a gunshot wound to the head, possibly inflicted by her husband, Joaquin “Lobo” Conde who’s being held by Mexican authorities.
In September of this year Estherville police received information Tina’s body may have been located in Mexico. Estherville police and the Emmet County Attorney’s office worked at trying to get the remains returned to Iowa ever since.
Michelle Howing, Victim Witness Coordinator for the Emmet County Attorney’s Office, tells KUOO news a fund has been established at an Estherville financial institution to help cover some of the additional costs incurred as a result of the unusual circumstances surrounding the incident. Among them is the fact that a funeral home in Mexico sent the wrong remains to Iowa earlier this month.
Howing says the Iowa Attorney General’s Office has approved a funeral and burial benefit of 7,500-dollars, but says that won’t be enough to cover all the expenses.
Donations to the Tina Triggs-Conde Memorial Fund may be sent to the Employees Credit Union, 2714 Central Avenue, Estherville…51334.
Howing says any additional monies received beyond what’s needed to cover funeral and burial expenses will be placed in a trust for Tina’s son who is now being care for by Tina’s parents, Mark and Sandy Triggs of Estherville.
