Valpo woman slain
Police seek suspects in stabbing death of 29-year-old mother

Author: Frank Wiget, Post-Tribune staff writer

Dateline: VALPARAISO

Jamie Gray was eager to get her first paycheck Thursday from her new job at Kmart on Calumet Avenue.

A struggling mother of a 7-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter, the job was a step toward turning things around, said Deni Weber, Gray's mother.

The day the check was to come, Gray's life ended tragically.

The 29-year-old was fatally stabbed outside her apartment just north of Vale Park Road on Valparaiso's northeast side.

With no suspect in custody, city police crisscrossed Jamestown Apartments on Virginia Park Drive on Thursday morning. A resident there for five years, Gray was attacked in the parking lot after 11 p.m. Wednesday.

Police received a 911 call at 11:59 pm. Wednesday from someone asking for medical assistance for a woman lying on the ground and bleeding.

Gray died at 12:14 a.m. Thursday at Porter Hospital in Valparaiso with stab wounds to her neck and stomach.

Police were tight-lipped Thursday.

Cpl. Mike Grennes, police department spokesman, said they've been following a number of leads. All the detectives are working the case.

Witnesses told police a full-size, older-model Chevrolet in poor condition was seen leaving the area.

Police believe Gray knew her assailant and that the crime wasn't random in nature.

Gray did have an active protection order in Porter County Superior Court against an area man. It was first ordered in October 2003. In November, it was extended until Nov. 5, 2005.

Grennes said police are aware of that order.

Weber, who had dinner with Gray on Wednesday night, can't understand who would do this to her daughter.

"I have no idea who would do something like this," said Weber of rural Valparaiso.

"Jamie had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to read," her mother said. "She was so excited about that paycheck."

An honor roll student in Washington Township High School's Class of 1993, Gray planned to use money from her new job to enroll at Purdue University North Central near Westville. She wanted to take psychology and writing, Weber said.

Gray's brother, Jon, moved in with her and her children, Sebastian and Siobhan, about 18 months ago, Weber said. Gray had two other brothers, Jeremy and Jordan. Gray's father, Ricky Gray, also lives in Valparaiso.

Some neighbors called Gray quiet, saying she kept to herself.

Diane Warren, a guidance counselor at Washington Township High School, remembered her as a bright student on the honor roll who wrote for the SenTimes, the school newspaper, and was in the choir.

"She was a quiet girl with a lot of talent," Warren said.

Porter County Coroner Roger Kleist ruled the death a homicide. He said the autopsy performed Thursday afternoon in South Bend showed the cause of death was multiple stab wounds.

Gray's death was the first homicide of 2005 in Porter County, Kleist said.

Other survivors include Gray's grandparents, Marilyn and Melvin Hanson; a half-sister, Rebecca Gray; two stepsisters, Melissa and Yvonne Estrada, all of Valparaiso; and two stepbrothers, Peter Weber of Valparaiso and Michael Weber of Bloomington.

The funeral will be at 7 p.m. Sunday at Liberty Bible Church, after visitation from 5 to 7 p.m. Burial will be at Angelcrest Cemetery in Valparaiso.

Reporter Frank Wiget can be reached at 477-6012 or fwiget@post-trib.com.

 

 

Caption:
Jamie Gray was found outside her residence by this trash container.