Family Of Aspiring Queens Model Killed On Island Of Jamaica Still Searching For Answers
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The family of an aspiring Queens model and filmmaker who was killed on the island of Jamaica is searching for answers about her death, but their efforts suffered a setback as relatives got ready to head to the Caribbean.
The family of Desiree Gibbon was in their home Friday without closure. The 26-year-old's body is 1,500 miles away in Jamaica, where she was found slain Saturday in a small town outside the resort her grandmother owns in Montego Bay.
"Why did they beat her? Why did they slit her throat?" the victim's aunt, Peggy Brunner, told CBS2's Magdalena Doris.
CBS2 spoke to her mother, Andrea Gibbon, Thursday night.
"In a bush in the country, where she would never have traveled, not ever," she said. "It was an isolated, desolate area, nothing there."
Gibbon is convinced her daughter, who was looking for work on the island, was killed by someone known to her.
"My belief is that it was a cold, calculated, planned-out murder," she said. "It wasn't a random act of violence. It somebody she knew, and it's somebody she trusted."
Brunner is hoping that in the struggle, the suspect's DNA was left behind.
"Desi is a strong girl. She's very street smart," she said. "She fought. She fought until her last breath."
As the investigation into her killing continues, the family is now working to expedite the process to get a death certificate and bring her back to New York.
"I need her home," her mother said. "I need to lay her to rest, and I need her here."
Unfortunately, after being bound for Jamaica, Gibbon's parents walked back into their apartment building, bags in hand. Their early-morning flight was canceled, delaying the most difficult trip of their lives.
The family will try again Saturday to fly to Jamaica in search for more answers, saying investigators have only said there is no one in custody for her killing.
The Gibbon family established a GoFundMe page to raise money for funeral expenses and reached their $20,000 goal in just two days.