Loved ones of Julia Dardar hold vigil at the home where her remains were found

Dardar vigil
Dardar vigil
Published: Jan. 19, 2022 at 10:41 PM CST
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NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Hours after the coroner confirmed that the remains of a woman found in a freezer in a bus in the Upper 9th Ward last week belonged to Julia Dardar, friends and family gathered to remember her life.

It was a sobering moment outside of the home on Pauline Street where such a gruesome crime occurred.

A dozen or so of Julia’s loved ones showed up now that her identity has been officially confirmed, although they knew it was her all along.

We learned from the Coroner’s report that Julia died due to blunt force trauma to her head as well as strangulation.

The man Julia was living with at the house, Benjamin Beale, has been arrested and charged in her murder.

Those at the vigil gathered to light candles, smudge sage, and pray around the home. Even walking up to the bus where her remains were found, all while sharing the good memories they have of the mother of two.

Her husband, Micah Dardar, and her two daughters were there. Micah says the reality of all this is really starting to set in and coming to the site of it all wasn’t easy

“It’s definitely tough to come here and see it after everything that’s happened, but all these people here have helped me feel quite better about it. There’s darkness in the world, but there is light too and we have to focus on the positive and keep moving forward,” Micah said. “There is no way to make it better but all the support has helped us get through it all.”

Micah continues to deal with all of the attention and speculation this case is drawing.

“It’s quite overwhelming, I’m doing the best I can,” Micah said. “It’s a high profile case, unfortunately for us, it’s a lot of attention we don’t necessarily want in our lives but we want Julia’s story told and hopefully save other people’s lives when they hear her story and hopefully not make the same decisions she did to end up in this situation.”

Beale is currently being held on a $1.4 million dollar bond.

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