Tragic Loss: Help Give Jessica a Beautiful Goodbye

My name is Sean McLaughlin, and I’m writing this with a heavy heart I never imagined carrying.

Jessica McLaughlin is my sister — but she’s so much more than that. She’s a daughter, a best friend, and the kind of auntie every kid dreams of having. She’s been my rock these past five years while we’ve lived together. She was always there — for me, for our family, and honestly, for anyone who needed her.

Jessica had a way of making people feel safe, accepted, and loved. You could come to her with anything and know you wouldn’t be judged. She was the kind of person who rooted for the underdog, who lifted people up when they were down, and who truly saw the good in everyone. She had such a beautiful soul and deserved so much better than the way her life was taken from her.

On Tuesday, the 24th, Jessica walked into work expecting a normal day — but instead, she was violently and senselessly attacked by one of her managers. She held her down, sat on top of her, and didn’t let her breathe. While some coworkers tried to help and stop it, they were attacked too. When she finally got free, she collapsed. She wasn’t breathing.

Her coworkers gave her CPR and called for help. Meanwhile, the manager ran to the back room to try and delete the security footage — and then fled the scene on her bike.

Doctors and detectives later confirmed what we already knew in our hearts — Jessica didn’t do anything wrong. She was the victim, and this attack should have never happened.

She has been kept alive on machines for the past couple of days. For all of these days, her mom Jasmine, her dad Clancey, our brother Anthony, step dad Albert, faithful boyfriend Adrian, sister Linda and I — along with so many friends and family — stayed by her side, hoping, praying for some kind of miracle. But the damage from the lack of oxygen was too much. Her brain had stopped functioning. After getting second opinions and doing everything we could, we have to make the impossible decision to let her go.

Now we’re trying to give her the goodbye she deserves. We want to give her a beautiful service — something that honors who she was and how deeply she was loved.

We’re asking for help to cover the costs of her funeral — including the casket, flowers, transportation, and some unexpected legal and medical expenses that have come with this tragedy. If you can help — whether it’s by donating or just sharing this — it would mean everything to us. Every bit helps. We want to lay her to rest with the same love and dignity she gave to others every single day.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for holding our family in your heart during this unbelievably hard time.

— Sean McLaughlin