Jessica Chambers Death Update: Investigators Say an Arrest Is Far Away After Mississippi Teen Is Burned Alive
Authorities investigating the Saturday murder of Mississippi teenager Jessica Chambers, who died after being set on fire, said not to expect an arrest anytime soon.
Law enforcement officials are following leads, including a surveillance video of Chambers, 19, at a gas station in Courtland, Mississippi, hours before she was burned alive, reports Huffington Post. The video was discovered by WMC-TV, an NBC affiliate in Memphis, Tennessee, who notified police of its existence. The Panola Count Sheriff's Office has the video and is investigating, according to Chamber's father.
In the video, Chambers can be seen at the gas station waving to someone before walking out of the camera's view. Moments later she returns to her car and drives away.
Ali Fadhel, the convenience store manager at the rural gas station, said that Chambers was a regular customer who he spoke to often. On Saturday, she reportedly visited the station's convenience store dressed in a dark-colored sweater and pajama pants. He said that she received a call on her cellphone, pumped gas and returned to the store to buy cigarettes before driving away.
An hour and a half later Chambers was discovered on a back road with severe burns covering her entire body.
CNN reports that the volunteer fire department was able to arrive at Chamber's car blaze Saturday night quickly because it was by another call nearby.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, Chambers was not on fire as widely reported. She was able to approach a firefighter and speak to him, John Champion, district attorney for Mississippi's 17th Circuit, told CNN.
Champion would not disclose what Chambers said.
"It has certainly given us a lead we're following up on," he said.
All homicide investigators know currently is that someone doused her with a flammable liquid and set her on fire. Police are hoping the gas station surveillance video, her cellphone records, the final autopsy report and interviews with potential witnesses will help lead them to her killer.
Amanda Prince, Jessica Chambers' older sister, said Wednesday night that no one had a grudge against her sister and the family has no idea who might want to hurt her.
"She was loved by everybody. I don't know who would want to do this or why," she said. "She was happy all the time. She made everyone laugh. She lit up a room. ... She was just full of life."
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