In August 2006, Tara Denise Cole was brutally murdered by two men who wanted to have "some fun" torturing homeless people. While people often referred to her as "the homeless woman who was thrown into the river", Tara's family wanted people to know and remember Tara for the person that she was, a loving, caring, and kind woman who lived with a mental disorder that few people could understand. Tara was your typical teen-age girl. She was very popular in high school. She had lots of friends, and was a high school track star. She was also a caring person who loved nature and helping others. As Tara grew older, she began to exhibit her strange behavioral changes. Tara, the happy-go-lucky girl, was now a severely depressed and paranoid woman. In an effort to help her daughter, Tara's mother, Pearl, takes her to see a doctor. Tara was first diagnosed with severe depression and sent home with some medication. But Tara's condition grew worse. To keep Tara from hurting herself, Pearl admitted Tara to a mental hospital. When Tara was released, she made a promise to stay on her medications, but she soon breaks her promise. Because Tara is an adult, her parents are told that they cannot do anything to help her. They are forced to watch their daughter's mental condition deteriorate.
