Fairburn police employee dies of coronavirus

FAIRBURN, Ga. - An employee with the Fairburn Police Department has died of coronavirus. 

Cheryl Catron, 57, a civilian administrative aide for Fairburn police, left work last Wednesday not feeling well. A family member told FOX 5's Kerry Charles that Catron was hospitalized on Friday and died the same day. Fairburn Police said she died after testing positive for COVID-19.

"For it to hit so close to home, right here in our Fairburn family as we have been saying, it's very very difficult to deal with," says Deputy Chief Anthony Bazyldo. "It's really hard."

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Fairburn police employee Cheryl Catron

According to Fairburn police, a GoFundMe page has been set up by Catron's family to help them during this time. 

The police department's lobby and administrative offices will remain closed and several staffers who had direct contact with Catron were sent home under a quarantine order. 

Through the loss, the department says there is a message everyone should take away.

"Take it seriously, stay home, don't go out if you don't need to," Bazyldo told FOX 5. "This stuff is the real deal. It's very, very dangerous."

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