‘A good hearted person’: Loved ones remember Indianapolis mom slain after ordering rideshare

She was selfless and would do anything she could to support those she loved. She was a good friend, a good family member. But most importantly, a good mother.

Across the country in states like Georgia and Florida, people were posting pictures and videos of Chanti Bresha Dixon, 30, highlighting how she filled their lives with laughter and positivity.

“One thing about Chanti, she was a good person,” her cousin Eric Young said. She was always the life of the party and, I’m telling you, she was a mother first.”

She also helped people when they were down, including Young.

More on Indy ride-share slaying: Driver arrested after woman who called for ride found dead Monday

In 2017, Young was exiting an IndyGo bus after getting off work when he ran into Dixon, who he hadn’t seen in a while because she had been traveling.

He’d recently lost his house and was homeless.

“I was going through a lot,” Young said. “She saw me and immediately picked me up. We talked and she took me to get something to eat before putting some dollars in my pocket.”

Chanti Dixon: Ride-share driver arrested after woman who called for ride found dead Monday

But now, Young along with other family members and friends are reeling.

That good-hearted nature makes Dixon’s loss a devastating blow.

The mother was found fatally shot in a wooded area near the apartment complex where she lived. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police were called to the 1800 block of Wagner Lane where they found Dixon shot.

Less than 24 hours later, a ride-share driver was arrested on a related murder charge.

Young said it was family members who found her body, hours after filing a missing person report. No one had heard from Dixon since Sunday morning.

“My mom and her mom are first cousins,” Young said. “So my mom called and said she and everybody were at her apartment. They’re the ones who found her.”

Rideshare driver arrested in Chanti Dixon’s killing

Dixon used the ride-share app Uber on Sunday to request a driver about 3:30 a.m. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police said no one heard from her after the driver picked her up. A missing persons report was filed Monday morning, and Dixon’s body was discovered about 1 p.m. that day.

The ride-share driver, Francisco Valadez, 29, was formally charged Tuesday afternoon.

Information from the rideshare app helped lead police to Valadez.

Chilling motive: Uber driver gave chilling motive for woman’s killing, arrest report reveals

“Our hearts break for Ms. Dixon’s family and loved ones in the midst of this tragedy,” Uber said in a statement to IndyStar. “The details of this act of violence are atrocious.” The company vowed to assist Indianapolis police in their investigation.

“This is disgusting,” Indianapolis Police Chief Chris Bailey said during a Tuesday news conference. “This woman is gone from the world unnecessarily by an evil act, and I’m glad that we were able to find this individual as quickly as we did so that he didn’t have an opportunity to perpetuate violence further in our community.”

Police are asking people who have had suspicious encounters with a ride-share driver during the past few months to share their stories.

‘If it wasn’t going to be her, it would have been someone else’

Dixon’s family and loved ones are keeping her story alive through the memories shared as they take time to process their loss.

Young hates that the killing was seemingly random.

“If it wasn’t going to be her, it would have been someone else,” Young said. “I just want justice. I want justice for her and I want justice for our family. I really want justice for her son.”

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police are asking people who may have more information on Dixon or the rideshare driver to contact the department’s homicide office at 317-327-3475 or Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS (8477).

Jade Jackson is a Public Safety Reporter for the Indianapolis Star. Email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formally known as Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.