Shelby Barnes Father: "She loved kids"

For Brad Barnes, the news of his came in a phone call from a former neighbor in Concord where Shelby Barnes was living.  Shelby had been living in the home since March and according to her father was planning on starting back to school at Solano Community College.

Barnes still has few details about his daughter’s death or the people arrested in connection with what police are describing as a homicide.

Barnes last saw his daughter in April of this year but was in regular phone contact with her.

“ kind of loved her,” said Barnes from his home in Chiloquin, Oregon, a small town north of Klamath Falls.  Barnes is retired from the Mount Diablo Unified School District.

Barnes’ wife Vicki said her stepdaughter loved kids and had talked about becoming a teacher.  "There were a lot of things she apired to that she nover got to do," she said.

School board trustee Steve Messina, owner of remembers Shelby as a hard worker.  “There was no project that was too hard for her to undertake,” said Messina.  “She was very, very personable, very, very reliable.  People liked her.”

Messina told the story of a time when someone stole the tips out of the counter top tip jar.  After reviewing the security tape Messina said he was ready to call the police when Shelby said she would talk to the boy seen in the video taking the money.

“She knew the kid,” said Messina.  “She found him at school and made him give her the money and she put it back in the tip jar.  She just handled the situation.”

When Shelby’s father was asked for a favorite memory he was silent for a few moments then said, “Just thinking about her brings a smile to my face.”