LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Officer Jennifer Parker responded to a routine call when she met Rachel Dunlap and learned she was living in her car.
Parker has worked as an officer for nearly 14 years and has helped thousands of people during that time, but Dunlap was different.
“We were outside talking, and she asked me where I was staying. I told her I was staying in my car,” Dunlap said.
After losing her job, Dunlap had no place to go.
She was looking for a fresh start and the home, while not perfect, was a new beginning.
“When she said it was perfect, it just struck me. I was thinking to myself, what could be going on in her life that the house was perfect,” Parker said.
The walls inside were covered with blood and bullet holes.
After leaving the crime scene, Parker said she couldn’t stop thinking of Dunlap, so she showed up at her job the next day.
“She told me she didn’t want to overstep, but by the time I moved in, she said the whole place would be furnished for me,” Dunlap said.
Parker reached out to her family and friends and asked for help. In a few hours, donations started pouring in.
“Everything that I would ever possibly need to move into a place, she brought me. I got couches, pots, pans, towels, everything,” Dunlap said.
While overwhelmingly thankful, Dunlap couldn’t help but ask why her? For Parker, the answer was simple.
“I feel like, at any point in time, we can have a bad day or a bad week at work, and we can end up in the same position,” Parker said.
“It's like the best thing that’s ever happened to me in I don’t know how long. I’m totally grateful for it,” Dunlap said.
