Indiana’s first coronavirus-related death: Roberta Shelton

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana’s first coronavirus-related death is an east side woman.

According to her family, she had been at Community East Hospital since last week.

Roberta Shelton and her boyfriend lived in a modest house on South Sherman Ave until her death Monday. Shelton had not traveled outside of the country recently and told her cousin Connie Estrada last week that she had been sick and was going to the emergency room.

“When she contacted me she said she was sick and going to the hospital. She had a high fever and then she posted on her Facebook page she was ready to go to heaven because she was tired of being in pain and sick,” Estrada said.

Shelton wasn’t married and didn’t have any children.

She was an active member of the Beech Grove Moose Lodge.

She was a live music enthusiast.

She followed the news concerning Abigail Williams and Liberty “Libby” German, two girls found dead near a walking trail Feb. 13, 2017, in Delphi. Shelton hosted a fundraiser for the girls’ families in 2017.

“She had a heart of gold, was always putting benefits on for people all the time,” Estrada said.

Last week, Shelton’s boyfriend called her family and said she was doing better, but her condition declined.

“She was supposed to be on a breathing machine and wouldn’t do it. They told her they were going to put her on life support, and she decided to go ahead and do the breathing machine and was doing better. I was hoping she was going to be OK since she was already in the hospital,” Estrada said.

Her condition didn’t improve. Shelton died at 10:30 Monday morning.

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