With Murder Case Unsolved, Friends And Family Remember Slain Mom
CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS) -- It's been one month since a Chicago Heights woman was shot to death in her home.
More than 200 friends gathered Friday at the park in Oak Lawn where she played softball.
They talked about the love that victim Michele Peters showed her family, friends and sons, 7-year-old George and 16-month-old Alexander.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio's Bob Roberts reports
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Tiffany Byrne, a cousin who helped to organize the vigil, cried much of the six minutes she addressed the crowd during the vigil and when meeting with reporters.
"We are Michele," she said. "Her life is gone. We are here. I'm here. I'm not going away."
Neighbors said at the time that they heard people arguing, dogs barking and then a gunshot.
Police held Peters' 32-year-old boyfriend for two days last month before releasing him without charges. They say the case is open, and Peters' mother said detectives are awaiting the results of lab testing that could take as long as eight weeks to complete.
She was gratified to see so many people turn out at the hastily-arranged memorial.
"That tells me that my daughter and my family are so loved, and we are so grateful for everyone's support that has been shown to us over the past month," she said. "Friends are coming out of the woodwork who we haven't seen in forever who knew Michele and loved her. She was a special little girl."
Centennial Park, in Oak Lawn, was chosen because Peters played on an adult summer-league softball team at the park that was known as "The Defibrillators," supposedly because the team was so bad.
