MS - Jessica Chambers,19, Panola County, Dec 2014**Media Thread***NO DISCUSSION**

Jessica Chambers

Panola County Sheriff's Office Investigating Death Of Woman Found Burned Near Her Car
Posted: Dec 07, 2014 2:39 PM CST Updated: Dec 09, 2014 10:38 AM CST
By Lynnanne Nguyen, Reporter

The Panola County Sheriff's Department investigating a car fire outside of Courtland Mississippi they say killed a young woman Saturday night.

The cause of the fire is not known. According to Panola County Sheriff Dennis Darby, a passing motorist alerted his department and the fire department to the scene. Darby says by the time rescue workers got on the scene the car was fully engulfed in flames. The driver tried to tell rescuers something but she was so badly burned she could not be understood. She was transported to Regional One where she later died.

The fire happened around 8:15 Saturday night just south of Courtland. The Panola County coroner has identified the victim as 19-year old Jessica Lane Chambers.

[...]

If you have information that may lead to an arrest, please contact the Panola County Sheriff's Office at (662) 563-6230.

Father speaks out after daughter set on fire and killed
Posted 1:39 pm, December 7, 2014, by Michael Quander and Ashley Forest, Updated at 10:45pm, December 7, 2014

COURTLAND, Miss. — A family his planning their second child’s funeral after a woman was killed.

Panola County deputies believe Jessica Chambers was set on fire and are investigating her death as a homicide.

“It’s hard for me to talk,” Ben Chambers said. “It’s hard to breathe. You don’t even think about–.”

---

Gas station surveillance video captures Jessica Chambers' last hours
Posted: Dec 09, 2014 1:54 PM CST Updated: Dec 09, 2014 9:49 PM CST
By WMCActionNews5.com Staff

PANOLA CO, MS (WMC) - Surveillance video from a gas station on Highway 51 in Courtland, MS shows Jessica Chambers walking toward the gas station before being called away by someone out of the camera's view.

Jessica, 19, can be seen waving before walking over to talk to the person. Shortly afterward, from another angle, surveillance video captures a man in a striped shirt fill up what appears to be a gas can before walking off in the same direction Jessica went. Jessica eventually returned to her car, finished pumping gas, and drove away.

---

Burning victim's last words could lead detectives to her killer
Posted: Dec 08, 2014 1:04 PM CST Updated: Dec 09, 2014 9:40 AM CST
By Michael Clark

[...]

"They have ripped everything I have," added Lisa Chambers, Jessica's mother. "She left to go clean out her car and was going to get her something to eat." The 19-year-old never made it home.

[...]

"We do have a phone that we believe is hers and that is what we are attempting to gather the information from," said Hale. Detectives spent Monday going through the phone for clues.

---

Surveillance footage of Jessica Chambers
The Clarion Ledger

---

Burned Mississippi teen's phone 'key' to finding killer, prosecutor says
By Martin Savidge and Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN
updated 1:03 PM EST, Thu December 11, 2014

[...]

The volunteer fire department that responded to her car blaze Saturday night got there quickly because it was at another call a couple of miles away, said John Champion, district attorney for Mississippi's 17th Circuit.

When firefighters arrived at the scene near Courtland, Mississippi, Chambers approached one of them and spoke. She was not on fire, as has been widely reported, the prosecutor said.

Champion didn't divulge what she said but told CNN, "It has certainly given us a lead we're following up on."

[...]

Investigators believe her phone will be "the key to everything," the prosecutor said. She received a call before she left her house, he said.

An autopsy was performed but results have not been made public.

[...]

The clerk who helped her said nothing seemed out of sorts.

"She seemed normal," Ali Alsanai told CNN affiliate WREG. "She didn't seem like something was going wrong, you know? She just seemed normal. She just pumped some gas, we had a talk, and she left."

---

Clay ChandlerVerified account ‏@claychand

Darby: "we're on rumor control." Says much of what family has said about use of accelerant is not true.
https://twitter.com/claychand/status/543093103897608193


Darby clarified that they've been unable to confirm forensically if accelerant was actually poured on Jessica.
9:24 AM - 11 Dec 2014
https://twitter.com/claychand/status/543093921828855808

Jessica's cell phone "does let us know who she was in contact with."
9:28 AM - 11 Dec 2014
https://twitter.com/claychand/status/543094936451964928

Though authorities are releasing sparse details of the crime and investigation — at least some of which can be attributed to a dearth of information — they have determined an accelerant was used in the blaze, but it’s not clear whether the accelerant was poured on the car or Chambers herself, Champion has said.
http://fox6now.com/2014/12/12/jessica-chambers-phone-provides-leads-prosecutor-says/

Investigators are looking into reports that a fire accelerant was poured on Jessica Chambers before she was set on fire. Investigators say the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms has a lab in Atlanta that may be useful in this case.
http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story...enforcement-agencies-in-jessica-chambers-case

Officials: No Arrests Yet in Case of Burned Woman

COURTLAND, Miss. — Dec 11, 2014, 2:47 PM ET
By ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press

[...]

Chambers, 19, had told the cashier she was going to make a stop before going home, he told The Associated Press.

"If she knew she had a problem with somebody, she would have told me," Fadhel said.

On her way out, Chambers got a call on her cellphone, he said. After she pumped gas, she re-entered the store, bought cigarettes, and drove away, headed south on the highway, he said.

On Thursday, officials said they were still working to determine who doused her with a flammable liquid and set her on fire. They said they'd made no arrests and didn't expect any in the near future, but that they were considering all possibilities and following up on all tips.

---

Investigators: Someone else may have been in car moments before teen was burned alive
Posted 11:56 am, December 13, 2014, by KFOR-TV & K. Querry, Updated at 04:41pm, December 13, 2014

[...]

Now, investigators say they are looking “at the strong possibility” that someone else was in the car with Chambers moments before the fire started.

Officials won’t go into detail about why they believe there was another person in the car.

However, they have cleared the bystander who called 911 and Chambers’ family, saying “there were no family issues.”

---

DA: No arrests made in death of Jessica Chambers
Posted: Dec 11, 2014 10:26 AM CST Updated: Dec 12, 2014 5:33 AM CST
By WMCActionNews5.com Staff

[...]

District Attorney John Champion and Panola County Sheriff Dennis Darby say they're not leaving any stone unturned - but they're not getting the help they need from the streets.

"In all the years that we've been doing this, it's very rare that we don't have a lot of street talk about who did this to lead us to where we are or where we need to be. This case is relatively quiet on the streets right now," said Champion.

[...]

If you have any information that can help investigators with this investigation, please call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-729-2169.

Man questioned in death of Jessica Chambers released
Posted: Dec 10, 2014 8:06 PM CST Updated: Dec 11, 2014 5:39 AM CST
By Janice Broach

[...]

"I was just called in for a situation I didn't know nothing about." Turner said he knew Chambers. "But I don't just know her like that because I'm way older than her. So I've seen her around at stores and everything, but I don't just know her like that."

Turner said he was not in Courtland, Mississippi when Chambers was discovered lying next to her car on fire. She died not long after she was found.

---

Jessica Chambers, Teen Burned to Death, Mourned at Funeral
December 13, 2014
NBC News

[...]

Chambers' father, Ben Chambers, said his daughter left a battered women's shelter a few months before she was killed. "She was getting on the right track. She had learned her lessons from being in bad relationships," he told NBC News Saturday.

---

Funeral for Jessica Chambers, 19, draws hundreds as Mississippi police seek clues in her fiery death
By Associated Press
on December 13, 2014 at 6:10 PM, updated December 13, 2014 at 6:50 PM

BATESVILLE, Miss. -- About 400 mourners packed a chapel in Mississippi on Saturday to say goodbye to a 19-year-old woman who was burned alive, among them classmates who used permanent markers to write heartfelt messages on her white metal coffin.

"Fly high, Jessica," said some, a reference to the former cheerleader's aerial acrobatics, according to the Rev. Eric Greggs, one of three speakers at the 45-minute service.

Chambers graduated from South Panola High last year and worked in sales at a Batesville clothing and gift shop.

Alabama author Linda Oliver said Chambers had recently asked her to help write a book about her life.

Remembering Jessica Chambers
Posted 7:35 pm, December 13, 2014, by Ashley Forest and Siobhan Riley, Updated at 10:16pm, December 13, 2014

[...]

Investigators are still trying to solve this crime. People in the community say they’re confident this case won’t go unsolved.
About 200 people came to the vigil. Jessica’s father says he’s overwhelmed by the support from the community

“Not only here, it’s all over the world, we had a lady from Hawaii pick flowers out of her own garden and send them here and that’s amazing,” said Ben Chambers; Jessica’s father.

---

Jessica Chambers' mother's plea: 'Please come forward' with information
Therese Apel, The Clarion-Ledger 2:32 p.m. CST December 12, 2014

The U.S. Marshals upped the ante overnight, offering a $10,000 reward in addition to the $1,000 already offered by CrimeStoppers.

[...]

The Marshals were called in early this week to help with some technological aspects of the investigation, according to local authorities.

U.S. Marshals Supervisory Inspector Christopher Felix said the Marshals have a reward program for situations just like this one.

"We're here to help state and locals apprehend dangerous fugitives, and we use our reward program that we hope will ultimately lead to the arrest of the dangerous fugitive," Felix said, clarifying that at this point there still is no known fugitive.

"He's not a fugitive yet because we don't know who he is," he said.

[...]

"We certainly hope it gets someone who is on the fence about what to do the incentive to come forward," said District Attorney John Champion. "We feel like there's someone out there that knows something. We're hoping that this will give someone a reason to come forward with what they know."

Anyone with information about Jessica Chambers' death is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-729-2169.

---

Jessica Chambers Mom: 'She Didn't Think Anybody Could Harm Her
AP - By ADRIAN SAINZ
Posted: 12/12/2014 7:32 am EST Updated: 12/12/2014 7:59 am EST

[...]

Chambers' mother spoke to her daughter about an hour before her death. "She was like, 'I'm cleaning out my car and I'm going to go get something to eat and be home to clean my room up," her mother said.

"She loved life, she loved everybody," her mother said. "She would do a monster face and stick her tongue out ... She's done that since she was about 3 years old."

Among the clues investigators are examining: surveillance video showing Chambers at a gas station, cellphone records from numerous people, unspecified evidence from her car and interviews with potential witnesses.

"There's just not a lot of street talk out there about who may or may not have done this," District attorney John Champion said at a news conference. "We feel like somebody out there has heard something."

Jay Hale, an assistant district attorney who handles cases in Panola County, confirmed that Chambers spoke to firefighters. He and Champion have declined to discuss what she said.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/police-cal...sissippi-woman-burned-death/story?id=27534305

'We will not stop:' Vigil seeks justice for burned teen
Clay Chandler, The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger 7:49 a.m. EST December 14, 2014

BATESVILLE, Miss. — It's easy to wish righteous punishment on those responsible for the burning death of Jessica Chambers, but to hope that they turn away from their wickedness and receive perfect forgiveness would be one giant leap toward justice.

Matt Hill uttered that prayer Saturday, surrounded by more than 200 people at a candlelight vigil for Chambers, the 19-year-old Courtland woman who died after being set on fire. Her death has shocked, saddened and incensed this town in north Mississippi.

[...]

District attorney John Champion said autopsy results that were originally expected Friday will not be finished until next week.

Champion has said that is likely the last bit of physical evidence outstanding. Officials will not publicly release the results upon their arrival, Champion said.

---

Chambers family grieves: 'I can never give my sister her Christmas gift'

Chambers' sister Amanda drove to Panola County Friday from Texas. She found herself home for the holidays, holding balloons at a candlelight vigil for her younger sister.

"For Christmas this year, I got her a necklace, and it has her initials on it, and I can never give it to her. I can take it to her grave, but that's all I can do," said Prince.

Use this page to read past stories, view photos, and see the latest headlines and updates in the case.

Jessica Chambers' murder investigation (wmcactionnews5)

Man questioned in the death Jessica Chambers says he did not know her
Posted: Dec 12, 2014 10:09 PM CST Updated: Dec 13, 2014 9:28 AM CST
By Janice Broach

[...]

"That day that it happened. I had been here with a toothache since about 6 p.m.," said Bibbs. "I think maybe they came by here about 9:30 p.m., they even went to my grandma address. They called my mom."

Bibbs, a married father, lives just down the road from where Jessica Chambers was discovered horribly burned lying next to her burning car. Investigators say Chambers was able to talk with the first responder. Bibbs says the investigator mentioned to him that Chambers had said the name Derrick or Eric.

"He said there was an accident I think down the road and your name was mentioned," said Bibbs. "And he said I think one of the other people said the only Eric I know in this area is Eric Bibbs."

Bibbs told the detective he did not know Jessica Chambers and wasn't even aware of what had happened to her. The investigator never told him why he was being questioned.

FBI involved in Jessica Chambers murder investigation
Posted 2:48 pm, December 15, 2014, by George Brown and Caitlin Alexander, Updated at 02:52pm, December 15, 2014

PANOLA COUNTY, Miss. — The Panola County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed the FBI is now involved in the investigation of the murder of Jessica Chambers.[...]

CrimeStoppers’ phone number is 1-800-729-2169.

---

Gas Station Owner Responds to Accusations in Jessica Chamber's Death
Chip Ward
On December 15, 2014

[...]

Ali told NewsMS that he really does not know anything.

“I really didn’t know nothing; all I said was she came to the store. That was it. At the end people accused me of doing it. The police officer came today and said I’m better off just let it go, just no comments for anyone,” said Alsanai.

[...]

“By the time it came to eleven, the police, the sheriff, and everybody come to the store. They said, ‘we got to watch the camera.’ I said, ‘what happened?’ He said, ‘Jessica just died.’ I’m like, ‘Oh my god what happened?’ He said they poured gasoline into her mouth, that’s how I know, cause the sheriff told me.”

- See more at: http://www.newsms.fm/anonymous-othe...er-responds-accusations/#sthash.YNa47P9y.dpuf

(audio recording of Ali Alsani at the link)

---

Man getting death threats due to Jessica Chambers investigation

Ali Alsanai went to the Panola County Sheriff’s office Monday to try to get an order of protection.

“They came to the store, they asked for the surveillance video. I showed them the surveillance video. The next day, they came and asked for the camera, so I gave them the camera system. What else can I do?” he said.

There has been online speculation Alsanai was not telling the truth and might be involved, but there is no proof of that.

Authorities: Mystery person on Jessica Chambers surveillance video cleared

Authorities in the Jessica Chambers case said the person she speaks to off-camera in a surveillance tape has been cleared in the investigation.

"We know who that was, and we have ruled out that individual," said Sheriff Dennis Darby. "That was a local hangout for her, she went there many times a day, she knew all those people."

There was also a man who could be seen in the background filling a gasoline can. Police said early in the investigation that he had been cleared as well, and that the gas in the can was to fill a generator.


Reports late Monday that the FBI had raided Chambers' house were inaccurate, according to Champion.

"That's not true. We did get some stuff out of her house, but it wasn't like we all ganged up and went in," Champion said. "It was stuff that we've sifted through, and we're going to look through it again."

The officers that collected the evidence weren't FBI, Champion said, but Panola Couty Sheriff's Department.

Reward Raised to $21K in Jessica Chambers Investigation

PANOLA COUNTY, Miss. - The reward for information in the burning death of Jessica Chambers has been raised again, according to WREG, the CBS affiliate in Memphis, Tenn.

Originally, a $1,000 reward was offered then $10,000 was added by the U.S. Marshals Office and now an additional $10,000 has been added.

ETA:
Tish Clark @local24tish · 23m 23 minutes ago
DA says reward actually still $11K but "expected" to climb to $29K soon. From private donors.

https://twitter.com/local24tish

Jessica Chambers' ex-boyfriend cleared as a suspect, despite social media claims
By Michael Clark Dec 16, 2014 7:25 PM EST
One thing is clear, investigators say Jessica's ex-boyfriend is not a suspect, despite what social media is saying.
[snipped]
Bryan Rudd now lives in Iowa, says he has nothing to do with Jessica's murder, and is heartbroken to hear about what happened to his old girlfriend.
[snipped]
"I hope that Panola County can stay strong, and not feed into all this hatred and lies that's being spread around town because it's not going to help us, it will only divide us and a house divided cannot stand."

Rumors Continue In Small Town Following Jessica Chambers Murder
By Tish Clark 12/16/2014 05:00 PM

Jessica Chambers’ mother has “full faith” in investigators
Caitlin Alexander reports on Dec 16, '14 w/video from this evening at the scene, that Jessica Chambers' mom tells people to hush up in so many words, she trusts the investigators, and that "For each and everyone of them, it starts with a nineteen year old girl on fire..." and to call Crime Stoppers.

Investigators follow new lead in Jessica Chambers murder case Dec 16, '14 11:29 pm est
Janice Broach reports about new leads trickling in, BF's parents, and the growing reward, and to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-729-2169
"I called the sheriff's department and I told them everything that I knew," said tipster Ray McClenic. "I said, 'What y'all are looking for, I don't know what kind of vehicle.' I said, 'But it's got really really loud pipes on it.'"