On Saturday, April 21, 2014, Officer Heather L. Phares, age 22, of the Midlothian Police Department, passed away after sustaining injuries in a two-vehicle accident after working a special assignment with the local school district.

Officer Phares was born on May 1, 1991 in Fort Worth.  She graduated from Mansfield Summit High School in 2009. Officer Phares was hired by the Midlothian Police Department in 2012, and she graduated from the North Central Texas Council of Governments Regional Police Academy in 2013, fulfilling her post high school dream of becoming a police officer.  Her original career plans to become a doctor were quickly changed after a ride out with her cousin, who is a Mansfield police officer. Officer Phares was with the Midlothian Police Department for one year and a half.

Officer Phares presented her natural athletic abilities from a very young age.  She began the discipline of Taekwondo when she was two years old, watching her father teach everyday in his gym.  She had a love for many sports including basketball and track, excelling in each sport in high school.  She earned the nickname “Whitelighting” from her coaches and teammates due to her quickness and speed, lettering on the varsity team in both sports her junior and senior year.  Officer Phares was very competitive in all she participated in and always strived to do her best.

Left behind to cherish her memories are her parents, Randell and Cynthia; brother, Colton; sister, Nicole; true love, Nathan Alzarez; grandparents, Jack and Laverl; great-grandmother, Dorothy Bradshaw, and a host of other family members.