LaGrange family holds online benefit auction for slain mother of three

SHIPSHEWANA, Ind,-- A LaGrange family who lost a single mother of three to domestic violence is holding a three-day online benefit auction starting on Saturday, Jan. 29.

Christina Tokar, a cousin of slain mother Ashley Conklin, said when she was brainstorming with her cousin, the goal was to sell 20 items, but one thing led to another, and now auctioning off over 150 items from local businesses across Michiana.

“We started just going around town, asking all the business and we had great support,” Tokar said.

Now, over 75 local businesses from across the area have donated items to the benefit that will go towards funeral expenses and creating a trust fund for Conklin's three children. Tokar said the goal is to raise at least $10,000.

Items like concert tickets, a TV, a chrome book, a rustic cabin gateway, are all up for grabs.

Conklin was found shot and killed at a home in LaGrange County a month ago, on December 20, 2021. Tokar said, her cousin was killed by her longtime boyfriend 38-year-old Adam Leslie in a murder-suicide.

She said, she was surprised by the lack of warning signs of domestic violence in their relationship and wants people to remember Ashley by her kind heart.

“People always say you know to look for red flags, thinking back I still don’t see any, and that makes it so hard. Any situation like this is hard, but it's like I wish I had any kind of a clue that I could have helped her in any way,” Tokar said. “One of the biggest things about her was just how big her heart was,”

The online auction goes live at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 29, and ends on Monday, Jan. 31 To access the benefit auction go here.