WASHINGTON — Gladys Tordil was the first victim in what police said was a two-day rampage across two Maryland counties that left three people dead.
Her estranged husband, Eulalio Tordil, has been charged in the killings.
But nearly a week after she was shot and killed while picking up her kids at a Beltsville high school, her family is struggling to bury her.
Gladys Tordil’s family wants her body repatriated to the Philippines, where they say she’d want to be buried, according to Arnedo Valera with the Migrant Heritage Commission.
Valera is helping facilitate the family’s wishes.
“You know, we should not allow an immigrant — or anyone for that matter — to die alone in this community,” Valera said.
The States Attorney’s office for Prince George’s County confirmed that it was working with Valera to get Gladys Tordil’s sister a visa in order to come to the U.S., handle her estate and accompany her nieces to their mother’s funeral.
The process will cost the family between $8,000 and $10,000, Valera said.
“I’m pretty sure that our society is generous. The immigrant community is generous. They will make this happen,” he said.
There is an online fundraiser to help Tordil’s teenage daughters afford college. But for those who would like to help her family with the cost of repatriating her body and flying her daughters to the Philippines, they can donate at the Migrant Heritage Commission’s website.
