It’s heartbreaking to hear about young, vibrant people whose lives are cut short for any reason. I can only imagine the heartbreak that Julie Pham must be reeling in with the loss of her only child. But to find out that her daughter didn’t just die in a car crash– to find out that she was murdered first and then deliberately run off the road– must be utterly nightmarish.
19 year-old Vanessa Pham and her overturned car were discovered Sunday evening along a wooded area of Route 50 in Virginia. Police found Pham inside, dead from trauma to the upper body. However, investigators did not think her injuries stemmed from the crash and now the autopsy confirms that she was the victim of homicide. Pham’s family is now struggling with their loss, and the knowledge that someone deliberately took the woman’s life.
Vanessa had just finished her first year at the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design, and had recently gone home for the summer.
The latest news reports in the Fairfax area are warning of a “killer on the loose” since the police say they have no reason to conclude Vanessa knew the person that stabbed her several times in the chest.
Vanessa did have a boyfriend from college, Aaron Apsley, who lives in Ohio and had been planning to visit her on Tuesday. He went to Viriginia anyway, to attend a candlelight vigil for her instead.
As police pursue her killer, Vanessa’s family tries to come up with the money to lay her to rest. They put all their funds into her college expenses for her art school where she just completed her freshman year. She had only been back home for a month.
If you would like to help the Phams, contributions can be made to:
Navy Federal Credit Union
Vanessa Pham Memorial Fund
P.O. Box 3100
Merrifield, VA 22119-3100
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Anyone with information related to incident is asked to contact Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-8477 or through the website http://www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org.
