The family of Jessica Manchini wants to know how the Pennsylvania woman ended up dead, her body stuffed in a suitcase in North Georgia, even if the information they receive is painful to hear.
"We understand as a family that uncovering the truth might discover a couple of ugly things in the process," said Manchini's brother Dylan Caldwell. "We're prepared for that. We just want to know the truth about what happened to my sister."
Caldwell and his mother spoke with WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh, a few days following the identification of Manchini's remains. The 29-year-old woman's remains were found in the suitcase in a wooded area off I-985 near Buford back in 2016, but it was new technology that allowed investigators to read a faded, partial tag on the suitcase and that eventually led to the confirmation of Manchini's identity.
The young woman's mother had reported her missing in 2014.
"When I got that crushing news, I just wanted to vomit, honestly," Maria Caldwell told WPXI. "Telling me where they found her, how they found her, I mean, this is insane."
Right now, Dylan Caldwell wants to give his sister a proper funeral. He has set up a GoFundMe account, hoping to raise $5,000 by July 16, so he can make arrangements in time for Jessica's birthday on July 30.
Follow the links below for previous AccessWDUN stories on this case.
https://accesswdun.com/article/2019/6/808853/human-remains-found-in-buford-in-2016-identified
http://accesswdun.com/article/2019/7/811143/family-wants-to-know-how-pennsylvania-woman-ended-up-dead-in-buford-area-in-2016