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PORTLAND, Ore. — The family of a woman found shot to death in her car in Northwest Portland this weekend is reaching out to the community for answers. They said they are heartbroken and struggling to make sense of the crime.
Friends and family held a candlelight memorial along Northwest Kearney Street Monday night to remember 39-year-old Krystal Pendergraph of Portland.
Her niece, Whitney Tillman, said a random act of violence took the life of her beautiful “auntie Krystal.”
“It was about three in the morning, and my sister came to my door screaming that our aunt had passed away,” Tillman said.
Pendergraph’s body was discovered on Northwest Kearney street, between 22nd and 23rd avenues on Saturday. Her family said a good Samaritan called 911 when they saw the victim slumped over in her car.
The medical examiner determined Pendergraph was shot to death, according to Portland police.
“A heartache, a pure heartache, for my grandmother and my whole family,” Tillman said. “We lost our backbone, we lost our person that takes us shopping and tells us what to do and cracks jokes,”
Tillman said her aunt was a real girls’ girl who loved going out with friends.
The family has a lot of questions about how a simple night of celebrating the weekend with friends and new acquaintances turned into this tragedy.
“It’s so soon and so fast, everything is so fast!” Tillman said.
The family said they’ve been advised not to talk about case details, but they want to hear from anyone who knows anything.
“She lived her life to the fullest, and just to be taken so randomly, we’re just in shock,” Tillman said.
The family has set up a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral expenses.