A story of humanity and compassion has come to light in Syracuse city of New York state of America, which made everyone emotional. For 55-year-old Riya Holmes, who has been living homeless for months, a sudden meeting with a police officer became a new ray of hope. If this meeting had not happened, perhaps Riya’s story would never have come before the world.

On December 13, 2025, Syracuse Police Department Officer Jamie Pastorello was sitting in his patrol car. Then he saw a woman walking with difficulty on the mountain path carrying groceries. The officer stopped the car and offered the woman a lift. The woman revealed her name as Riya Holmes and said she was going to the cemetery where her husband was buried. During this short visit, she talked about her 26-year-long married life, her memories of her husband and her faith and thanked him again and again for his help.

Before getting down from the car, Riya expressed her desire to get a photo clicked by the officer. A few days before Christmas, the police department shared this photo on Facebook and called it a moment of kindness during the holiday season. This post went viral in no time. From here the story took a new turn.

A maintenance worker working in the cemetery recognized Riya after seeing the photo and contacted the police. He told that he has been seeing Riya in the cemetery for several months and he suspects that she is living there. Police officer Pastorello was also surprised to hear this, because Riya’s expression did not give any indication of being homeless.

Investigation revealed that Riya was living near the graves of her husband and father for the last eight months. She slept on a tarpaulin spread over her husband’s grave, wore the same clothes every day and kept a few belongings nearby. He never asked for help from anyone and kept himself away from the public eye.

Riya’s life, which once worked as an administrative assistant, changed completely after the death of her husband. Her husband, the Reverend Eddie Holmes, was a pastor and musician who died of a heart attack in 2020. After this shock, Riya lost her job and was eventually evicted from the house. He avoided going to the shelter home and chose to live under the open sky, considering himself safer.

Despite difficult circumstances, Riya did not stop helping others. She continued serving in food pantries and churches. He says that only the help of others gave him the strength to live. Riya believes that this meeting was no less than a miracle. He said, ‘God sent Jamie there that day. They knew I needed help.

After learning the truth, Officer Pastorello arranged for temporary housing for Riya and started a GoFundMe campaign for her, which raised more than $27 thousand. He told Riya, ‘Now you will not sleep outside again, I will not let this happen.’

After this, Riya was connected with a local organization, which provides small but fully furnished houses to the needy. On January 5, 2026, Riya shifted to her new house. When temperatures dropped below zero and snow storms hit Syracuse, Rhea was safely indoors. Riya says, ‘If I had not got that lift that day, perhaps I would not have been able to bear this cold.’ Now even after a month, there has been a deep friendship between the officer and Riya. Both often talk on the phone and also meet for coffee.