The South Boston neighborhood where 24-year-old Amy Lord was kidnapped is a vibrant neighborhood, full of young professionals out walking, jogging or grabbing a bite to eat.
“It’s a little scary. I’m brand new to the area as well,” said Madeline Schuck, who jogs in the area.
News of what happened to such a young girl spread fast through the neighborhood. A lot of the young women 7News spoke to said they were going to be much more aware of their surroundings in the future.
“Got that normal phone call from the parents being like, ‘don’t walk by yourself.’ So it’s nerve-wracking. It’s scary,” said Elissa Rapp, who hangs out in the neighborhood.
Police issued a warning to young women in South Boston to be extra careful and to never go into a confined space with a stranger.
Neighbors said their hearts go out to the family of such a young, beautiful girl with so much to live for.
“She was young. She’s got her whole life ahead of her. There’s just so much crime it doesn’t make any sense at all. It just makes you wonder everyday what makes these people tick,” said Mary Gaughan, who takes care of her brother in Southie.
Lord, 24, was abducted from her South Boston neighborhood and forced to withdraw money from ATMs around Boston before being stabbed to death in Hyde Park. A man riding his bicycle found her body on Tuesday afternoon.
“Boston Police Homicide Unit is coordinating with the State Police and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office investigating a suspicious death of an adult female, who appears to be the victim of a violent assault,” said Lt. Det. Greg Long of the Boston Police Department.
Scores of state and local police continued to comb the park’s 475 acres Wednesday.
Lord’s car was found on fire in South Boston Tuesday morning.
There have been two other incidents in the area in the past 24 hours. At 200 Colony Avenue in South Boston a woman was stabbed and survived. A woman on Gates Street in South Boston was also stabbed and survived. Edwin Alemany, 28, of Boston, was arrested in the Gates Street stabbing.
Police have not officially connected these incidents. They are also not ruling anything out.
Lord worked at Genuine Interactive, a small company in Boston. The company released a statement saying, “The passing of Amy Lord is both tragic and shocking. Amy was a true family member to all of us at Genuine Interactive. We are taking time to focus on the well-being of Amy’s family and friends while trying to come to grips with the loss of such a vibrant, caring and special young girl”.
Lord is described as a bubbly person who always had a smile on her face. She graduated from Bentley University in 2011 with a BA in Marketing, Quantitative Perspectives.