Internet rumors have swirled around the death of a 19-year-old girl who died after being set on fire, a case that even after almost two months still remains unsolved.
The brutal death of Jessica Chambers, the happy teen with the sunny disposition, almost two months ago has turned Courtland and Batesville upside down as people have tried to make sense of it, and tried to figure out not if there’s a killer in their midst, but who it might be.
Chambers was found on Herron Road in Courtland a little after 8 p.m. on Dec. 6, walking away from her burning vehicle with burns over 98 percent of her body. She died of those wounds.
Officials classified Chambers’ death as a homicide, but in spite of interviewing what they have said is more than 100 potential witnesses, they say they still have yet to emerge with a prime suspect.
A lot of Internet speculation has pointed to gang violence in the case.
Theresa Fleming, whose son Bryan Rudd dated Chambers, and with whom Chambers stayed for a few months, said she has been heartbroken over Chambers’ death.
Rudd has moved to Iowa and is engaged, and said in an interview that he hadn’t seen Chambers since May of 2013. Fleming said she broke the news to him the night of Chambers’ death, and he has also been distraught at the news of her horrific killing.
She said Chambers was the kind of person who just wanted friends and to be loved, but that any talk of Jessica herself being in a gang was nonsense.
“Jessica was in no gang. Jessica has never been involved in any gang activity. Just because she was with black people and black people embraced her and treated her as one of their own, it didn’t automatically mean that she was in a gang,” Fleming said.
Fleming said Chambers was sometimes overly trusting, but it was because she was an honest person herself.
“Jessica made bad choices sometimes in the people she chose to be around and in the people she chose to trust. Everyone in this world is not good,” Fleming said. “Just because she had a good, kind, caring heart, she expected that from others, but it’s not always like that in life. You have bad black people and you have bad white people. There’s bad people all throughout this world.”
Rudd has been the subject of internet speculation because of his former relationship with Chambers, but he is not a suspect.
For many reasons, including Chambers’ ability to treat everyone equally regardless of skin color, Fleming said the entire community wants her killer found and brought to justice.
“Jessica just wanted everyone to like her. She had some issues in her life but God knows she was truly a sweet person. Jessica never saw color, and her heart just wanted everyone to like her,” she said. “The black community is not hiding or protecting the killer of Jessica. I swear to you if anyone knew who had did this to Jessica that person would not be safe from the black community.”
Last week, authorities announced another $10,000 added to the reward in the case, bringing the reward to up to $53,000.
Meanwhile, the investigation continues. District Attorney John Champion said the reward money has brought in more calls, but no viable leads. From the beginning of the investigation, officials have been frustrated at the lack of “street chatter” in the Chambers case.
“The reward is really not generating anything at this point. We’ve got some things we’re working on right now, and I can’t elaborate on it,” he said. “But we’re still actively working on the case.”
Chambers would have been 20 years old on Monday.
She should be having a birthday party, but instead those who loved her are holding a candlelight vigil in her honor on Saturday.
Apel also reports for The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger
SOURCE: Therese Apel
USA TODAY
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The family of Jessica Chambers will host a vigil in her memory this weekend.
Chambers, 19, would have celebrated her birthday on Saturday.
Emergency workers found Chambers’ body on fire next to her car in Panola County in December.
The reward for information has reached $53,000.
No arrests have been made.
SOURCE: WAPT News 16
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