From September 2024 to August 2025, Lubbock County had 690 confirmed cases of child abuse or neglect, according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. In that time, 124 children in Texas died of child abuse or neglect; two of those were in Lubbock County.
Taylor Mendoza is the founder and executive director of No Whispers Foundation, a nonprofit that’s been serving Lubbock and surrounding communities since 2023.
She is also a local funeral director and embalmer.
“I have come across some cases of children that have passed in that way. You like to believe that things like that don't happen next door, but they do. They happen all around us,” Mendoza said.
No Whispers Foundation raises funds for the funerals of children who die from domestic violence and abuse.
“I couldn't go back and do something to save the children that have come into my care,” Mendoza said. “But I knew I could do something moving forward to be able to lay them to rest with dignity, but also give them a voice to be heard.”
Being that voice can be challenging, Mendoza said.
“I understand that it's heavy, it's a lot, but it is also something that we don't want to shy away from,” she explained. “You can't shine a light on something that you keep closed away. And that's kind of where healing begins: you have to try to talk about it.”
Mendoza explained that there are programs in place for families who lose a loved one to child abuse, but that looking for state financial support is rarely the first priority for parts of the family who are grieving.
Her goal is to connect people with resources and help them in the process, without having to worry about the cost. No Whispers is funded through donations and sponsorships, so that families can move at their own pace and don’t need to wait for reimbursements.
“And that’s where I want to step in is to be able to allow them to start their grieving process and not just be stuck wondering, how am I going to pay for a funeral now? We weren't expecting this. What kind of counsel can I receive?” Mendoza said. “Or if it's a child who passes away and they have siblings, now what are the repercussions the siblings are going to have to go through? How can we help that child now? And so it's more of healing past the funeral as well.”
No Whispers connects families with therapists and counseling services and has a strong partnership with Lubbock Victim Assistance Services, which is also where the foundation offices.
Other partners for No Whispers include local funeral homes and law enforcement.
Sergeant Tim Seeley has been with the Lubbock Police Department for almost 27 years. He is also a board member of Lubbock Victim Assistance.
“There's a lot going on behind the actual case itself, but a lot of people just concentrate on that case,” he explained. “I want to thank everybody behind the scenes that's putting in the work that don't get recognized for it. I will be their biggest cheerleader all the time because of how much help they are with us on the front lines.”
Seeley said being on the front lines takes an emotional toll and that there is a weight that comes with seeing people through devastating experiences.
“I've had things happen to me through my law enforcement career, and when I say things happen to me, it's not stuff that personally affected me. How it's happened to me, it's the stuff that you observe, the stuff you see, that those images are burned in the back of your mind, and they're there for life,” Seeley said. “That's what I mean by it affecting that first responder.”
Mendoza explained that there is a similar toll for “last responders,” like medical examiners and other deathcare professionals.
It was one of these difficult moments that inspired Mendoza to start No Whispers Foundation, about six years ago when she was pregnant with her son.
“There was a young child who had come into my care, and while embalming this child, it was just gut-wrenching, tearing me apart,” she recalled.
Knowing that she would encounter these kinds of cases throughout her career, Mendoza was looking for a healthy way to process it.
“How can I let the world know that this child still cared, even to the end, even afterwards, and the child's family that was left remaining to try to pick up those pieces,” she asked. “How were they going to know that they're cared for and that there is hope past this?”
Mendoza said the work she does is heartbreaking, but it is also healing. For her, and for the families to know they’re not alone.
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services describes child abuse and neglect as a public health issue and a cycle that can only be broken by prevention through education.
Education that can only happen through awareness and dialogue; not avoiding uncomfortable truths.
No Whispers helped organize a color run at Buffalo Springs Lake in the spring, with colors to represent suicide awareness, child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, and remembrance.
“We had a big wall that I had created for people to sign, and it says, ‘Who are you running for?’ And it was the most impactful for me because I actually got to see all these people really running with a purpose. They had a reason that they were there,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza had collected resources from throughout the community to provide for those who need them.
“If you're going through it, or if you know someone who's going through it, take this with you,” she said. “Find help.”
You can find more information or make a donation at NoWhispersFoundation.com.
You can report suspected domestic abuse, neglect, or exploitation to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services here or by calling 1-800-252-5400.