Crystal Wyrick, a five-year veteran of the Pine Bluff Police Department, died Monday at Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock. She was 37, according to a family member.
The cause of Wyrick's death and how she was admitted are unknown, but Lt. David DeFoor of the PBPD confirmed it was not related to her duty as an officer. According to a Facebook post announcing her death, Wyrick was assigned to the swing-shift patrol division, meaning she worked a shift starting at 2:50 p.m. and left between 1 and 2 a.m., according to Police Chief Denise Richardson.
"Crystal had some real good friends. She has been with us for five years, and she was a decidated employee, well-liked," Richardson said Tuesday evening.
Wyrick was a patrol officer during her entire career and was "good at it," Richardson added.
"She would have had an opportunity to move from one division to another had she been with us longer," the chief said. "It was just sudden. We've spent most of the day taking care of the family."
Fellow officers escorted Wyrick from the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock on Tuesday afternoon between two lines of other first responders saluting her and transported the body to Paradise Funeral Home in Pine Bluff, Richardson said. Funeral services are pending.
"She was a nice, young woman with a big smile and laugh," Richardson said. "She was a part of our family. It's just shocking, but we're not trying to get too down. We're just trying to take care of the things we need to take care of and each other."
Fellow patrol officer Katisha Johnson remembered Wyrick as a "very loving" person who was fun to be around and well-rounded. Wyrick carried a fellow officer home last week after the fellow officer was involved in a shooting inside a Thrasher Street residence while on a domestic disturbance call, according to Johnson. The suspect was booked into the Jefferson County jail on suspicial of aggravated assault on an employee of a correctional facility, according to the jail log.
"She really loved what she did," Johnson said. "She loved serving the community."
So much so that Wyrick also was going to nursing school and was planning on attending field training officer school, according to Johnson.
"Once again, she loved helping people."
Johnson has helped Wyrick's family establish a GoFundMe page titled "Officer Crystal Wyrick" to help raise money for funeral expenses. The goal is $15,000.
The White Hall Police Department also expressed its sympathy on Facebook on Tuesday.
"We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of Ofc. Crystal Wyrick as well as our brothers and sisters in blue at Pine Bluff PD as they all mourn this loss," the WHPD posted.
Jasmine LaGrant Savage, Wyrick's first cousin, noted Wyrick as a strong-minded and independent person.
"She was extremely determined and worked hard to achieve every goal that she set for herself," Savage said. "She loved spending time with her family, loved to have a good time, and always knew how to make us laugh. If you really knew her, you knew just how beautiful she was inside and out. Her smile and laugh radiated any room she was in."
Crystal's mother, Catherine Wyrick, said in a statement through Savage:
"I miss my baby deeply already, and it's something that I may never get over, but I know that God is in the midst of the situation and that he will continue to keep me and my family. He is helping me to cope with this loss tremendously. It feels like she took a part of me with her when she left.
"I don't really know what to say truly. I just know that I miss my baby, but I know God is still in control."
Wyrick is survived by four children – sons Ky'Ren, 20, and Kaden, 10; and daughters Ca'Niyah, 16, and Kylee, 7 – four sisters and two brothers, according to Savage.
"Please keep Officer Wyrick's family, friends and the PBPD family in your prayers," the department posted.
Crystal Wyrick