Laura Jones was found dead on the roof of Slippery Noodle. But there's more to her story

Editor's note: If you or a loved one is struggling with mental health or substance abuse problems, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for help.

In the final weeks of her life, Laura Jones made birthday cards for her children.  

She tried to heal from addiction and mental health problems that plagued her entire adult life while inside a treatment center in Logansport.  

That’s where she wrote one final letter to her sister and painted the names of her children on pieces of paper.  

Jones, a 39-year-old mother to three, never got to mail the birthday cards or letter. She was found dead in downtown Indianapolis just a few days after her release from the treatment facility.  

“She didn't have a lot, but she thought about her kids,” said the woman’s older sister Jessica Cooper. “She had a loving heart." 

Three days after Christmas, Jones was found dead on the roof of the Slippery Noodle Inn on Meridian Street. Her cause of death has not yet been determined, but Indianapolis police do not believe foul play was involved.  

For Jones’ family, there are plenty of questions.  

In the weeks before her death, she was looking forward to the holidays and family members had new hope that Jones was getting on the right track.  

Now they are planning ways to remember Jones’ life and hoping that sharing her story can lead to more compassion for people facing addiction, homelessness and other hardships.  

“Some of this is ugly truth and I don't want to paint her in a very bad picture, but truth is the truth and addiction is ugly,” said the woman’s mother Donella Corlett. “If you get caught up in that, it's just hard to get free."   

Who was Laura Jones?  

From across the family’s home, Corlett thought she heard her two daughters fighting.  

“Mom came busting in the room then she realized we weren't fighting and me and Laura, we just started laughing so hard,” Cooper said. 

The girls had recorded a fake fight on a cassette tape and then played it loudly for their mother to hear. This was one of many pranks Jones played while growing up. She always liked to make people laugh, her sister said.  

Jones was outgoing, kind and a sweetheart as a kid.  

“I have pictures of her and Jessica going out to the backyard picking dandelions,” Corlett said. “I had to keep these dandelions in a cup, but as a mom, you don't dare throw those things away.”  

Jones went to Hamilton Heights High School and lived in Central Indiana her entire life, except for a brief stint in Florida. Cooper remembers jumping out of an airplane on a skydiving adventure with Jones to celebrate her 21st birthday.  

Years later, Jones crocheted a red and white airplane for Cooper. 

In the days since her sister’s death, Cooper has kept the crocheted airplane close and reflected on good memories.

Previous coverage:Woman found dead on roof of Slippery Noodle Inn. No foul play suspected

Growing up, Jones was loved by her mother, sister and extended family, but her mother said there was trauma in her childhood that played a part in her path to addiction.  

“You had a situation with a broken home,” Corlett said. “I, at the time, was an alcoholic and I couldn't take care of myself, so I let them go live with their dads, which was very hard as a mom.” 

Jones bounced between living with her mom and dad.  

"She would live with us for a little while then get mad about something and go back to live with dad,” Corlett said. “It gave her unsurety of belonging.” 

Jones’ rebellious mindset as a teenager and her search for belonging played a part in her path to drugs and addiction.  

“She just wanted somebody to love her unconditionally, which we did,” Corlett said. “We were her family, but sometimes you don't see that when you are in it. She searched out that love from others.” 

Jones got married young and had her first child at around 20 years old. Two of her children are now young adults, while the youngest is still a minor.

As addiction took over her life, other family members cared for her children, but Jones never forgot about them.  

“When she was trying to get things straightened out over the years, it was all about her kids,” Corlett said. “She loved her kids, and she loved her family."  

Jones’ family hoped she could beat addiction 

There was always hope that Jones would get better — even though she struggled with drug addiction for nearly two decades.

“She would run into some type of trouble, whether it be school or the law or work,” Corlett said. “She would straighten up for a little while then get knocked down in life.” 

Jones’ life became a cycle of getting into trouble, trying to beat her addiction and mental health issues then falling back into drug use. She struggled with alcoholism and a variety of drug addictions over the years, including cocaine and amphetamines.

When she was in jail or prison, Jones seemed to be more like her old self, her mother said.  

“When she could separate the drugs out of her mind and come out of that fog, she so wanted to enjoy life with her kids and be with her family,” Corlett said.  

Hope that Jones could turn the corner was something her loved ones felt many times over the years.

More news:Stories of rising Indy youth violence 'shock the conscience.' But not everyone has given up

Jones was court ordered to stay at the Logansport treatment facility for 90 days after serving time in prison on a charge of unlawful possession of a syringe as a habitual offender.

Cooper once again felt hope that her sister would get better.  

Jones’ mother and daughter visited her for lunch at the facility in late November, about a month before she was released.

“I could tell she was figuring out her life, where she went wrong and things she could've done or should've done,” Corlett said. “This last time we had high hopes for her. This was the best I'd seen her.” 

Laura Jones’ final days 

On her first day out of the Logansport facility on Dec. 19, Jones called her sister.  

It was the last time Cooper would hear from her.  

Jones was calling from her new home on the east side of Indianapolis — a transitional housing program that supports people with addiction and mental health issues.  

“She was telling me her plans to find a job,” Cooper said.

Cooper thought it was great her sister had a bed rent-free for a year and a half. She could begin saving money and get on track, but those plans never came to fruition.  

“I don't know what happened from that to when she disappeared,” Cooper said.  

Dec. 20 was the last time Jones spoke to her mother. 

She called in distress and said she was being chased. Jones was using someone else’s cellphone and said she had to go before abruptly ending the call.  

Over the years, there had been many times when Jones called loved ones in distress, but they often struggled to know how to help her.

“I don't want to sound uncaring or heartless because I loved her very dearly,” Corlett said. “It's just ... you are not sure how to perceive each phone call.” 

Her family did their best to guide her during each call. This time, Corlett told her daughter she needed to go back to the transitional housing building where she would be safe.

Her family began to worry when they didn’t hear from her on Christmas. Even when Jones was using drugs and living on the street, she found ways to call her loved ones.

"Whatever happened on (Dec. 20) set her on the path for the last days of her life,” Corlett said.

More:Marion County is a 'hotspot' for youth overdose deaths, study finds

Two days after Christmas, Corlett went to look for her daughter and was told she hadn’t been at the transitional housing building for several days.  

“The freedom was a little too much, too soon,” Corlett said. “She didn't know how to handle it.” 

The next day, on Dec. 28, Jones’ loved ones received a call from investigators that her body was found in downtown Indianapolis, about 5 miles from the transitional housing building.  

“I just felt shock,” Cooper said. “Even now it's just hard and it feels not real. I still have questions. What was in her mind? What were the circumstances? Where was she going? What was she doing up there on the roof? We don't know.” 

Investigators have not released details on why Jones was on the roof of the bar or how she got up there.

‘Small kindness ripples out’ 

After she was found dead, Jones’ family discovered the letter for her sister and birthday cards for her children at the transitional housing building.  

“It's bittersweet that they are going to have this birthday card from their mom and she's not here,” Cooper said. “Just watching them go through that stuff, it's heartbreaking.” 

Jones’ family plans to have a private funeral soon and a larger celebration of life in the spring or summer. Cooper hopes her sister’s story will encourage other people struggling with addiction or mental health issues to keep looking for help.  

"Even if you are not beating it, just keep trying to get help,” Cooper said. “You may be making a little progress and not even know it yet. Just keep trying.” 

Cooper said she is trying harder to see the humanity in everyone she interacts with after her sister’s death and hopes other people will do the same.  

A smile or a hug cost nothing and a cup of coffee or a jacket to keep somebody warm costs very little, she said.  

"It's the little things that make a difference,” Cooper said. “We all could realize we are doing great things even in the small moments. That small kindness ripples out." 

Resources for mental health and substance use disorders

Anyone in Indiana can dial 2-1-1 to be connected to treatment providers and community resources. Indiana's Division of Mental Health and Addiction website allows you to input information on what you are struggling with and then provides the best-suited resources near your location.

For a full list of treatment facilities for mental health and substance use disorders, go to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's website.

Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.