LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A community is rallying around the two children of the Luzerne County woman who was murdered and her body burned.
Investigators say 39-year-old Jessica Lockwood, a volunteer firefighter, suffered a gunshot wound and blunt force trauma, her body was set on fire, and was left along Club 40 Road in Hazleton early Sunday morning.
The search for her killer is ongoing.
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A GoFundMe page has been set up to benefit Lockwood's children, ages 13 and 10.
A community is rallying around the children of a Luzerne County murder victim. As 28/22 news has been reporting, the body of 39-year-old Jessica Lockwood was found burning along a road in Hazleton on Sunday.
She leaves two children behind.
"I mean a 14-year-old, a 10-year-old, how do you go live your life and move forward from this. It's not easy," voiced Jude Sidari, a family friend.
Jude Sidari from Hazleton is a close friend of the family of Jessica Lockwood. He and other family members started a GoFundMe account to help Lockwood's children.
Lockwood was murdered over the weekend. Her burning body was found by a man driving on Club 40 Road in Hazleton early Sunday morning.
He thought it was a mannequin and called 911. Firefighters arrived on scene and discovered it was a body of a woman.
An autopsy determined that Lockwood died from a gunshot wound and blunt force trauma.
Later that day an army of police searched a home on Muir Avenue in the heights section of the city. Detectives confirm that search was connected to the murder investigation.
Sidari tells me that Lockwood's son is friends with his son and, in fact, was with him and his son on Saturday.
"Overall, it's a huge change for the family, you know emotionally they're a wreck. Its very difficult what they are going through right now and that's actually why we wanted to help support them. They have a long road ahead of them in their lives," said Sidari.
Sidari says in just three days the GoFundMe account has raised nearly $17,000 dollars.
"It will go to a lot of things, help the kids. They're being relocated. It will go towards schooling, their future, also counseling for them as well. They definitely need counseling over such a traumatic and horrific loss that they have endured. Their mother was their caretaker, for them their everything," expressed Sidari.
Lockwood was a volunteer firefighter and trustee for the Harwood Fire Company near Hazleton.
"Jessica Lockwood was very caring about her children, her kids first and foremost. Very bubbly personality; always had a smile on her face, outgoing, you know she was a good mom," recalled Sidari.
Police say this was an isolated incident and the public is in no danger. They have not comment on a suspect.
