Karmeshia Thomas was found dead at the Mardi Gras Truck Stop in New Orleans on Sept. 12, 2018 and the case still remains unsolved nearly one year later.
Thomas, a 2011 Coahoma County High School graduate, was a truck driver working for KLLM Transport out of Richland at the time of her death. Truck drivers throughout the United States heard about Thomas’ story and did not want her death to go in vain. Divas With A Driven Purpose, a nonprofit organization of women truckers with a mission to raise awareness for various charities and giving back to communities, came together to hold a ceremony honoring Thomas where she was buried at McLaurin Memorial Garden Cemetery Saturday morning.
Yolanda Tappin from Houston, Texas, organized the event. Tamara Brock from Biloxi, who also used to work for KLLM Transport Services, was present along with Joshua Cross from Clarksdale, Arthur Roberts Jr. from Jonestown and Latora Perkins from Vixmoor, Ill.
“It just really shocked me because we hear of drivers dying of natural causes, but the way she died, it was very shocking,” Tappin said. “Then there was nothing go on with the police and everything, so I was like, ‘I don’t want her death go in vain. I want her to be remembered in some kind of way.’”
Brandon Hornburger, who, just like Thomas, played basketball for Coahoma County High School and went on to be a truck driver, was present.
Thomas, who was 25 when she died, was a center for the Lady Red Panthers and power forward for Alcorn State University, where she graduated from in 2015 with a degree in business administration. Those present at Saturday’s ceremony had purple shirts on that read date of her birth Jan. 14, 1993 and the date of her death Sept. 12, 2018. Thomas’ mother, Joyce, said the shirts were purple because of her love for Alcorn State.
“She loved it. She was going back,” Joyce said. “She said she was going to go back and get her Master’s.”
The truck drivers honked their horns for Thomas after the ceremony.
Brock spoke at the ceremony about truck drivers coming together and bringing awareness to dangerous situations.
“It also means a lot to us as drivers out here on the road every day we have to deal with it,” she said. “Karmeshia means a lot to me. I never got a chance to meet her in person, but just hearing about her and her story and what happened, it really touched close to home.”
