Odelia Jose.Photo: Cassidy AraizaAt 58 years old, Odelia Jose’s life has been riddled with pain.Instead of enjoying her retirement years on the Gila River Indian Reservation in Sacaton, Ariz., she grapples with the heartache that’s plagued her since the shooting deaths of two of her children, who were killed four years apart.The killings had a traumatic effect on Jose’s only surviving daughter, now 25, who coped with the loss of her siblings with drugs.Jose herself saves her tears for the shower.“That’s my time for crying because nobody can see me,” Jose says.In 2014, after a battle with drug use, Jose’s older daughter, Gwendolyn James, 26, was straightening up her life, her mom says. But Gwen’s life was cut short when she was shot to death after giving a friend a ride to a house on the reservation. “She was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Jose says.Gwendolyn James.CourtesyJerome James.CourtesyBut the pain didn’t end there. In 2018, tragedy struck once more, when her son Jerome James, 32, was also found murdered. His body was hidden in a remote ravine on the reservation. He had also been fatally shot.For more on Odelia Jose’s quest for justice,subscribe now to PEOPLE,or pick up this week’s issue, on newsstands Friday.Both Gwen and Jerome left behind children of their own.A tribal court sentenced Gwen’s killer to three years behind bars, while Jerome’s murderer remains at large. Since then, Jose has become a vocal critic of tribal authorities and state leaders. She has forged relationships with other mothers in the community whose children have been murdered.At the same time, she has witnessed her youngest daughter grapple with drug use, forcing Jose to assume the responsibilities of a mom once more — this time to that daughter’s three young children, Jeromy, 2, Kendrick, 3, and Kaydence, 4.Odelia Jose and her grandkids.Cassidy AraizaWant to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.“I’m changing diapers, bathing them, and keeping them fed,” Jose says.But despite the exhaustion of keeping up with little ones, Jose still finds joy in being a mother figure to all 10 of her grandkids, reveling in the bliss of seeing the faces of her own children in them.Just last year, Jerome’s daughter, Seleste James, 18, was crowned homecoming queen. “I told her, ‘I’m proud of you, and I know your dad is, too.'“Jose says, “‘We don’t see him, but I know he’s watching you guys.'”
Odelia Jose.Photo: Cassidy Araiza
At 58 years old, Odelia Jose’s life has been riddled with pain.Instead of enjoying her retirement years on the Gila River Indian Reservation in Sacaton, Ariz., she grapples with the heartache that’s plagued her since the shooting deaths of two of her children, who were killed four years apart.The killings had a traumatic effect on Jose’s only surviving daughter, now 25, who coped with the loss of her siblings with drugs.Jose herself saves her tears for the shower.“That’s my time for crying because nobody can see me,” Jose says.In 2014, after a battle with drug use, Jose’s older daughter, Gwendolyn James, 26, was straightening up her life, her mom says. But Gwen’s life was cut short when she was shot to death after giving a friend a ride to a house on the reservation. “She was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Jose says.Gwendolyn James.CourtesyJerome James.CourtesyBut the pain didn’t end there. In 2018, tragedy struck once more, when her son Jerome James, 32, was also found murdered. His body was hidden in a remote ravine on the reservation. He had also been fatally shot.For more on Odelia Jose’s quest for justice,subscribe now to PEOPLE,or pick up this week’s issue, on newsstands Friday.Both Gwen and Jerome left behind children of their own.A tribal court sentenced Gwen’s killer to three years behind bars, while Jerome’s murderer remains at large. Since then, Jose has become a vocal critic of tribal authorities and state leaders. She has forged relationships with other mothers in the community whose children have been murdered.At the same time, she has witnessed her youngest daughter grapple with drug use, forcing Jose to assume the responsibilities of a mom once more — this time to that daughter’s three young children, Jeromy, 2, Kendrick, 3, and Kaydence, 4.Odelia Jose and her grandkids.Cassidy AraizaWant to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.“I’m changing diapers, bathing them, and keeping them fed,” Jose says.But despite the exhaustion of keeping up with little ones, Jose still finds joy in being a mother figure to all 10 of her grandkids, reveling in the bliss of seeing the faces of her own children in them.Just last year, Jerome’s daughter, Seleste James, 18, was crowned homecoming queen. “I told her, ‘I’m proud of you, and I know your dad is, too.'“Jose says, “‘We don’t see him, but I know he’s watching you guys.'”
At 58 years old, Odelia Jose’s life has been riddled with pain.
Instead of enjoying her retirement years on the Gila River Indian Reservation in Sacaton, Ariz., she grapples with the heartache that’s plagued her since the shooting deaths of two of her children, who were killed four years apart.
The killings had a traumatic effect on Jose’s only surviving daughter, now 25, who coped with the loss of her siblings with drugs.
Jose herself saves her tears for the shower.
“That’s my time for crying because nobody can see me,” Jose says.
In 2014, after a battle with drug use, Jose’s older daughter, Gwendolyn James, 26, was straightening up her life, her mom says. But Gwen’s life was cut short when she was shot to death after giving a friend a ride to a house on the reservation. “She was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Jose says.
Gwendolyn James.Courtesy
Jerome James.Courtesy
But the pain didn’t end there. In 2018, tragedy struck once more, when her son Jerome James, 32, was also found murdered. His body was hidden in a remote ravine on the reservation. He had also been fatally shot.
For more on Odelia Jose’s quest for justice,subscribe now to PEOPLE,or pick up this week’s issue, on newsstands Friday.
Both Gwen and Jerome left behind children of their own.
A tribal court sentenced Gwen’s killer to three years behind bars, while Jerome’s murderer remains at large. Since then, Jose has become a vocal critic of tribal authorities and state leaders. She has forged relationships with other mothers in the community whose children have been murdered.
At the same time, she has witnessed her youngest daughter grapple with drug use, forcing Jose to assume the responsibilities of a mom once more — this time to that daughter’s three young children, Jeromy, 2, Kendrick, 3, and Kaydence, 4.
Odelia Jose and her grandkids.Cassidy Araiza
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
“I’m changing diapers, bathing them, and keeping them fed,” Jose says.
But despite the exhaustion of keeping up with little ones, Jose still finds joy in being a mother figure to all 10 of her grandkids, reveling in the bliss of seeing the faces of her own children in them.
Just last year, Jerome’s daughter, Seleste James, 18, was crowned homecoming queen. “I told her, ‘I’m proud of you, and I know your dad is, too.'”
Jose says, “‘We don’t see him, but I know he’s watching you guys.'”
source: people.com
