(Via Clarion Ledger) On Wednesday, Jessica Chambers’ mother appealed to people who might know about her daughter’s death, reminding them that arresting the person responsible is not just about closure for Jessica’s family.
“If there’s somebody that knows what happened, they need to talk, they need to tell it,” Lisa Daugherty said. “If you know that happened, who’s to say that you or your child aren’t next. If you know that person did that, what if you make them mad? You already know what they’re capable of.”
Chambers, 19, was found on Herron Road in Courtland on December 6 with burns over 98 percent of her body. She died of her injuries in the early morning hours of the next day.
Daugherty said there have been people who have come to tell her things they might know about the case, but not many. She said she believes people are afraid of repercussions if they talk about what they know. She continues to encourage people to go to the authorities with their knowledge, and she said perhaps authorities could do more to assure them of their safety.
“I think people would talk more if they thought maybe they had some protection…. If somebody had that information, maybe the law could say, ‘We could offer you witness protection’ or something. They haven’t mentioned that,” she said. “People might feel a little better knowing, ‘I can be protected, maybe I’ll tell what I know,’ but they’re thinking, ‘If they can do that to her, they can do that to me.'”
It’s become very strange to interact with people since her daughter’s death, Daugherty said.  (read more)