Behind my beauty is pain.
Deandra Solis had a heart of gold and a smile that would light up a room. If you were down on your luck and needed some help, she was there. She was a loyal friend, daughter, and sister, but her younger brothers, Isaac, and Justus, were who she lived for.
Taking care of her brothers from a very young age meant Deandra had a lot of responsibilities, and she had to grow up quickly. She was determined to do whatever it took to get her brothers out of poverty, and she did, eventually moving them from Section 8 housing to a nice apartment. To her, family came first, and Deandra had a loving and generous spirit. She loved her mother and enjoyed taking her and her brothers to the beach on vacation.
Deandra also loved being with her friends, having cookouts, going to clubs, going out to eat, and shopping. She had a heart for the underdog, once giving a woman $300 at Christmas, and making bags with necessities for unhoused people that she and her brothers gave out. She had a good sense of humor and tried to make the best of every bad situation, until she met one that was too much for her.
There were drugs at the clubs where Deandra worked. She began taking Lortabs, then tried opioids, eventually using heroin. Her addiction escalated quickly through a toxic relationship, and it changed her. Used to being the strong one and having people count on her, Deandra became distant. “She didn’t want to be around me, I think because she was probably embarrassed, once it got as bad as it did,” said her best friend, Nikki.
Deandra’s death left a void in the lives of her brothers, her mother, and her friends who are all still missing her.
“I miss the sober De. The kind, loving De. She was beautiful, inside and out,” Nikki said. “I just miss her being here, being able to do things with the kids together. And I miss the loyalty I had in her because she was such a loyal friend. I don’t think I’ve ever had a friend so loyal.”
There were no charges brought in Deandra’s death, a fact that still angers Nikki. “If you know you’re murdering someone giving them something like that, then you should have the same charge as if you shot them,” she said. “Their riches shouldn’t take my friends’ lives. I’m tired of losing people.”
Deandra’s best friend, Nikki Day, provided the information for this narrative.
December 10, 1988 -October 31, 2020-Age 32
Portrait Artist: Jeremy Hebbel
Narrative Writer: Lynne Mixson
