SPRINGFIELD — Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni’s office confirmed the identity of a woman found deceased in Forest Park last week as Joann Garelli, a 56-year-old resident of West Springfield.
After receiving a report of a body on Trafton Road, Springfield police responded to the scene and located Garelli’s body on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, around 5:00 p.m. in the Camp Star Angelina area of Forest Park. The incident, which is still under investigation, is being investigated as a homicide.
A GoFundMe page started by Andrew Santiago, the husband of Garelli’s daughter, Elizabeth Herd, was created to help Herd cover the cost of Garelli’s funeral.
“JoAnn was the one they found in Forest Park in the afternoon, the violence and abuse of women are not taken seriously and we all need to come together as one to help prevent these attacks on women!” Santiago wrote on the GoFundMe page.
So far, the page has raised $4,270. Herd has been promoting the group on her Facebook page in hopes of reaching the goal of $5,000.
The investigation into Garelli’s death is ongoing. It is being conducted by the Hampden District Attorney’s Office in conjunction with the Springfield Police Detective Bureau’s Homicide Unit.
