Theresa Michelli Simon, 46, was a 20-year veteran of the Slidell, Louisiana police department. She was on duty as a patrol officer on June 13, 2021, when she knew something medical was wrong. She called her husband, Lt. Kevin Simon, also a Slidell officer, to say she wasn’t feeling well. As he drove her to the hospital, she had a heart attack and could not be revived.

Simon began working with the Slidell Police Department in 2002, serving as a patrol officer, detective, and academy instructor.
She was currently working with the Little Oak Middle School helping kids who had a hard time making relationships. According to Principal Kim Vanderhlis, she was a beautiful person inside and out, and absolutely dedicated to the children. She’d follow up late into the night with a child in need. She’d say, “I want to get to know you while you’re young, so I won’t have to know you while you’re older.”

Shortly before her death, Simon became the first female officer in the department to pass the exam to become a sergeant. She was posthumously promoted.

Sgt. Simon is survived by her husband, Kevin, a Lieutenant with the Slidell Police Department, and two sons, Peyton and Drew.