Jacksonville mom pushes for 'child closure law' to help parents of slain children get answers

The push by a local mom to help parents get answers from police when their kids are killed is gaining steam.

Our partners at Action News Jax first introduced you to Patricia Ward in 2014. That's when she began her petition to help better the relationship between police and the families of homicide victims.

Ward's son Curtis was killed in California in 1997 and she said she struggled to get answers on her son's case from investigators.

When Ward moved to Jacksonville, she found families that shared the same issue.

“You don’t realize (that) when your child passes you have to make those calls … who keeps in touch with a coroner?” said Ward.

Ward started a petition that would require law enforcement agencies to send a letter to a family member when a loved one is killed. It would provide basic information about the case from a number of officials -- from the prosecutor to the coroner. It now has more than 26,000 signatures.

The Justice Coalition is a local organization that helps families navigate the criminal justice system. Its executive director, Paul Bussell, said they are here to help families that feel lost in the shuffle.