news

Somebody set Jessica on fire. Now the Internet is obsessed with her murder.

 

She was burned alive more than 6 months ago and her killer has not been found. Now, the internet are trying to find her murderer.

At face value, Jessica Chambers was the perfect all-American teenager.

A cheerleader, the 19-year-old from Courtland, Mississippi (a town with a population of only 512) was described by friends and family as “happy” and “sweet” as well as a “daddy’s girl”.

But on December 7th last year, she was brutally beaten and set alight over a kilometre away from a gas station she had stopped at to fill up her car, according to 19 Action News.

19 Action News reported that Jessica was found lying next to her burning car with burns to 98 percent of her body. Jessica was flown to a Memphis hospital but sadly passed away shortly after.

However, according to Buzzfeed, Jessica gave a mysterious and very important clue into who committed this brutal murder before she died.

“Eric did this to me”, she allegedly repeated over and over as she lay on her hospital bed.

Despite interviewing more than 130 Erics and Derricks, as well as investigations being made through the FBI, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the US Marshals Service according to News.com.au, no-one is yet to be arrested.

The mystery of who killed Jessica Chambers. [Post continues after gallery]

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

As a result, the Internet has exploded with theories about her death in the hopes of uncovering the mystery of who killed Jessica Chambers.

According to Inquisitr, online ‘hactivist’ group Anonymous took on the case in December and hacked into social media accounts and computers of those close to Jessica.

ADVERTISEMENT

Using the Twitter handle @0Hour1, the group allegedly revealed Jessica’s connection to gangs, including the fact that her ex-boyfriend belonged to a gang, as well as her drug use in a series of tweets. Although the tweets have since been deleted, Inquistr reported some read:

“Local Gang responsible #OperationJessica Engaged pic.twitter.com/VP0fz381HY #JessicaChambers We Are Legion We Do Not Forgive We Do Not Forget

— OperationJessicaC (@0Hour1) December 12, 2014

#JessicaChambers Gang signs flashed in from of the last known place Jessica was seen #Anonymous Has a Further reach pic.twitter.com/qdu7CUmVFF

— OperationJessicaC (@0Hour1) December 12, 2014

Since then, many more forums and Facebook groups have been set up, each using the very limited information available to propose theories that could lead to arrests.

The clues available include her last words, Anonymous’s information and video surveillance of Chambers at the gas station taken 90 minutes before she was burned alive.

Here are some of the most popular theories surrounding the mysterious circumstances of her death that are being circulated online:

1. She got involved with the wrong crowd

Commenters on Reddit have given highly personal information about Jessica’s life, suggesting she appeared troubled before her death.

The comment reads:

This girl had a rough life. Her home life was unstable, her dad had gone to jail, her mom and her fought all the time, and she routinely left her home for months at a time as a teenager.

Then she behinds to act out. She “accidentally” hit her grandmother and the article states “whenever her boyfriends would hit her” so I’m assuming she was in an abusive relationship. She started hanging w the wrong crowd and was wanted for “snitching”.

Everything points to this being a premeditated murder. Only Jessica and the killer know for sure, but I really hope they find him/her.

The Twitter handle that Anonymous used to uncover information about Jessica’s death also tweeted about the connection between being involved with gangs and deaths using the popular hashtag for the case, #justiceforjessica.

2. She was the victim of a race hate crime

With many media organisations suggesting Jessica’s killer was not white, some theorists have suggested the murder occurred as a result of a “race hate crime”.

ADVERTISEMENT

This Reddit comment reads:

I thought the ex bf did it but i honestly think it was a race hate crime

3. The police are in some way involved

A Facebook group entitled Jessica Chambers Mystery also have theories and suggestions, one of which relates to the suggestion made from the Justice for Jessica Facebook page that local law enforcement (LE) has not been cooperating with requests from the family.

Some commenters believe the perceived lack of investigation by local LE points to corruption.

This post reads:

Just got caught up on the past 6 months of information gathered and posted… I believe, 100%, that there is absolutely a reason that local LE do not want this situation investigated further. I don’t know that they have anything to do specifically with Jessica’s murder, but I do believe that there’s plenty of dirty deals going on in that little town from which they profit by looking the other way. In a town that size, there’s no way local LE  doesn’t know exactly who’s running drugs and guns, and I think it’s obvious that they allow it to continue, likely for some nice kickbacks. They know no one outside of that place cares to look into anything that’s going on there. The foxes are definitely guarding the henhouse.

Jessica Chambers. Source: Facebook.

So far, these theories remain just that. If anything, internet sleuths have potentially caused more distress to the family of Jessica, with her mother speaking to Buzzfeed about their “psychic premonitions” and “relentless demand for answers”.

Despite this, her family are still encouraging people to search for answers in the mysterious murder case.

On the Facebook page that her half sister has set up with over 152,000 likes, Justice for Jessica, there is a widely publicised $54,000 reward for anyone who comes forward with information about the death of Jessica.

Whether or not this type of vigilante justice is successful remains to be seen.

What we do know is that violence against women clearly remains a huge issue in our society, one with no quick fix or easy solution.

Related content:

We mourn the death of a 17 year old names Masa Vukotic.

Bill Shorten talks exclusively to Mamamia about ending family violence.

What are we doing about violence against women in Australia?

10 perfect “rape prevention tips” every man needs to read.