Humanity has once again risen to the occasion, this time when it comes to a tragedy involving an Indiana football player.
According to multiple reports, Cassondra M. Wilson, 45, was identified as the victim of a fatal shooting at her residence Friday night in Columbus, Ind. Saturday afternoon, her ex-husband, Troy O. Wilson, was found dead in Indianapolis of an apparent suicide.
Troy Wilson was being sought as a person of interest in his ex-wife’s apparent slaying. Police had labeled both deaths as suspicious.
Both Wilsons are the parents of Cam Wilson, a redshirt sophomore on the Indiana football team. Cam Wilson is a walk-on wide receiver with the Hoosiers.
Monday, one of Wilson’s brothers started a GoFundMe page with a goal of raising $30,000. Less than a day later, that figure had already been surpassed. As of this posting, the number has risen to nearly $77,000. More than 800 individuals have contributed to that total.
“From the time we were kids to her tragic passing; our hardworking, fun-loving mother was the center of our universe,” Jaden Wilson wrote of his mom, a prominent business owner in Columbus, on the GoFundMe page. “Passionate about the future of her kids as well as people in the community. Cassondra devoted her life to helping people reach their full potential. The love we all carry in our hearts for Cassondra will be her lasting legacy and impression on the world. All donations received will be used for personal and death-related expenses maintained by Cameron, Jaden, and Sydney.”
Police continue to investigate what they are viewing as a suspected murder-suicide. At the time of her death, Cassondra Wilson had a protective order filed against her ex-husband.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Cam and his family,” Indiana head football coach Tom Allen said in a statement over the weekend. “We’ve been in constant communication with Cam once we learned of this tragedy. He is a tremendous young man, and we will continue to assist and support him in any and all ways. We ask everyone to respect Cam and his family’s privacy during this difficult time.”
