The community of Manchester Square turned out in big numbers Monday night for a 53-year-old mother after family found her brutally murdered in her apartment.
"You guys are all a reflection of love my mother put out there," said Tyesa Harvey, the victim's daughter, at a vigil on Monday.
The victim was identified as Fatima Johnson. She worked in a nursing home and her daughters say she was also in recovery. They worried she was dating a man struggling with sobriety, so when they couldn't reach her last weekend, they entered her apartment with a spare key.
"When I looked on the floor, seen the top of her head, rolled up in a blanket in a corner, I started freaking out. I unrolled her. Duct tape mouth, hands bound," said Johnson's daughter Makeva Tasby.
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"This whole situation feels unreal. It doesn't feel like something I'm actually going through," Harvey said.
A GoFundMe account has been set up for the South Los Angeles mother's home-going expenses by loved ones who fear her kindness exposed her to danger.
"Her heart was so big. She knew he wasn't no good for her. I said, 'Mommy you need to leave him alone.' She said, 'everybody needs support baby,'" said Harvey.
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Relatives say the killer stole Johnson's cell phone, jewelry, and her silver Lexus. For now, LAPD has made no arrests. The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information is urged to call LAPD South Bureau Homicide Division detectives Brian Smith or Pat Farmer at 323-786-5113 or call 323-786-5067. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
