SEGUIN, Texas — A family struggling to help their loved one living on the streets, battling addiction and mental illness lost their fight after 21-year-old Evanae Silva was found dead in the Vista Verde building parking lot on July 18.
“Right now, I blame the system," said Silva's grandmother, Roxanne Campbell.
According to Silva’s family, she suffered from Schizophrenia, was addicted to meth, and spent time in and out of jail.
Jessica Detmer says her daughter was deemed incompetent to stand trail on at least two occasions. Court records show Silva’s most recent arrest was for a public lewdness charge. In June, the judge dismissed the case and she was released.
Detmer says the court's failure to instead send her to rehabilitation cost her daughter her life.
"I tried to get her help constantly," Campbell said. "She called two days before they found her dead. I told her, 'Evanae, you have got to get to the rehab please.'"
Detmer says helping Silva was a constant struggle because she was an adult and they could no longer make decisions for her. The family hopes that, by sharing their story, they can help spark a change in the system and increase resources to help people who are mentally ill and struggling with addiction.
Silva’s cause of death remains under investigation. KENS 5 reached out to the District Attorney’s officer but they did not comment for this story.
The family has set up a GoFundMe account to help cover the costs of a celebration of life.