CALIFORNIA CITY, Calif. (KGET) \u2014 Today marks 10 years since the murder of 23-year-old Deverrie Schiller.<\/p>\n
Her mother, Debi Fones, wearing a mask following a small biopsy on her throat, plans to remember her daughter in a unique way.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw the wind phone, and I thought that was such an amazing idea,\u201d Fones said.<\/p>\n
Where Schiller\u2019s body once laid, a wind phone stands.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a disconnected phone to help those grieving, connect with their loved ones. She hopes whoever uses it can find solace.<\/p>\n
Man arrested after dog attack leads to child\u2019s death in California City <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cCall up your loved ones in heaven and say the things you haven\u2019t said, or say goodbye, or tell them you love them,\u201d Fones said. \u201cThe wind takes it up to them.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a concept that originated in Japan in 2010, after a man built an unconnected phone booth to cope with the death of his cousin.<\/p>\n A coping device that allows those grieving to talk with their loved ones, even though no response will ever come.<\/p>\n \u201cAnybody can use it, and you can talk to whoever\u2019s up there, whoever you miss,\u201d Fones said. \u201cHopefully it helps.\u201d<\/p>\n Fones said there are fewer than one thousand wind phones worldwide, and the closest one to Kern County is in Joshua Tree.<\/p>\n Now the closest one is in California City\u2019s Central Park, off of Heather Avenue on the northwest side of the park, in a quiet, fenced off area where Schiller\u2019s body was found.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a loss few can relate to and for Fones, few can help with.<\/p>\n \u201cI have more mom friends, and that\u2019s moms who have lost kids, then regular friends,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause they just get it.\u201d<\/p>\n Schiller\u2019s case is among other cold cases in California City that remain unsolved due to a lack of funding from the local police department. Fones says she wants to petition for reinforcements this year.<\/p>\n