TOLEDO, Ohio — The family of a woman viciously attacked with a knife, at a gas station on February 29, is speaking out.
Danialle Swan, 28, died from multiple stab wounds. Toledo police said the case, appears to be a random act of violence.
Those who knew her best say there was much more about her life that they would like to share.
"She was just so energetic. Just talk a 100 miles an hour, always have to tell her to slow down, I can't understand you," said Danialle's father, Ron Swan.
According to Danialle's uncle, Mark Swan, she would have wanted her friends and family to go on and be happy without her.
She would also want everyone to remember her smiling because that's who she was.
"It's just the worst time I've ever had in my life," said Ron, as he thinks about how the past four days have been.
Hearts broken were broken after Saturday's tragedy. Ron said he can't wrap his mind around what happened and that nothing will ever be the same.
Despite his pain and anger, he wants people to know who she was.
"She was a good person, she was a mother of three young kids and now they have no mother," he said.
Danialle's kids, ages 9, 6 and 18 months, are now living with their grandmother.
According to her father, Danialle was in Toledo to visit the father of her youngest child.
He was told that his daughter was headed back from the mall and stopped at the gas station and the stabbing occurred.
Both her father and uncle say one thing the 28-year-old mother is that she never lacked spunk. No matter what Danialle was going through, she would work to lift up the people around her.
"Oh my gosh, so much energy, ball of energy. Always energy, always talking a mile a minute. She was always was happy, no matter if she was going through things. She had a way to seem to be happy for other people," said Mark.
Family members say Danialle was grounded in her faith and family.
To them, all of this seems unreal. So does the community response they've received from their loss.
"That's the emotional part for me. It's beautiful, the friends, it's a lot of response that's just absolutely beautiful, overwhelming," said her uncle as he held back tears.
They say a life without her, is a life they never imagined.
"For me, personally, there's not a future without her," said Mark
"Just trying to take one day at a time, just do things as they come I guess," added Ron.
The family has a fundraiser up now to help with funeral expenses. That link is available here.
Danialle's uncle said anything that exceeds those costs will go to creating a trust fund for her kids.
A showing and funeral is set for later in the week. Meanwhile, the suspect, Thomas Smith, is behind bars, awaiting his next court appearance.