Following her daughter’s “senseless and avoidable” murder, Laken Riley’s mother issued her first public statement ahead of another significant message.
Family, friends and prayerful strangers converged on Woodstock, Georgia Friday as the 22-year-old Augusta University student was laid to rest more than a week after she was found murdered on the University of Georgia campus.
The following day, her grieving mother, Allyson Phillips, took to Facebook to share a message of gratitude to God and the community when she could have easily lost her “faith in mankind.”
“As I sat down to write this message, I really just have no words. My family has faced the most devastating, unimaginable loss that anyone could ever be [forced] to endure. I would like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for being with me and my family during this heartbreaking time,” began Phillips. “I encourage everyone to have a personal relationship with Jesus. I give Him all the glory for getting us through this.”
“It would be really easy to lose our faith in mankind because of this senseless and avoidable tragedy,” she remarked. “The amount of love, support and help that we have received during this horrific nightmare is overwhelming.”
NEW: Laken Riley’s mother has released her first public statement about her daughter’s death, calling it a “senseless” and “avoidable” tragedy.
Riley was laid to rest in Woodstock, Georgia on Friday with over 1,000 in attendance.
Riley’s mother, Allyson Phillips, wrote the… pic.twitter.com/PJzzfaIe9v
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 4, 2024
Addressing the nature of the tragedy resonated with the public as, in the days since Riley’s murder suspected to have occurred at the hands of an illegal alien, the alleged murderer’s background and status appeared to be just one of many similar cases of criminal foreign nationals who would have been deported were the rule of law being followed in the United States.
She is darn right it was avoidable!
Everyone knows whose shoulders this lands on, Joe Biden.
It is disgusting that he will not even mention her name.
— Old School Eddie (@Old_SchoolEddie) March 4, 2024
Enough preventable tragedy. This is not okay. https://t.co/EYObvxKH0y
— Caroline (@carolinecwilder) March 4, 2024
What a lovely message. ️ May Laken’s family and friends find peace while they grieve the loss of a beautiful soul taken by a senseless act.
— ❥❥❥ᗰoᒪᒪie❥❥❥ (@mollie_don) March 4, 2024
This tragedy was avoidable…
I cannot imagine losing a child ❤️— Oscar Herrera (@OscarEnjoylife) March 4, 2024
Heartbreaking
but I think to truly honor this family is to do something about the illegal immigration and close the damn border!
— Tara (@TaraThoughts2) March 4, 2024
The lengthy message from Phillips continued with more gratitude to others who had supported her family in recent days.
“I can’t begin to tell you all how much we appreciate all of the text, calls, flowers, meals, groceries, bows, pictures, personal gifts, memorials, gift cards and donations to Laken’s foundation. We are beyond grateful for everyone who had stepped up to be here for us through this difficult time. The outpouring of love has been so enormous — that I felt this was the best way to thank you all in a timely manner,” she said.
“I hope that each every one of you know how much we love and appreciate all you have done. We have no words to possibly express our heart felt gratitude. Please know that every act of kindness has warmed our hearts and brought us joy during our worst nightmare,” she continued as, at the time of this post, a crowdfunding page had raised nearly $230,000 toward a $35,000 goal in memory of Riley. “We appreciate all of the time, effort and prayers that our family, friends and community have showered us with to help ease our pain. We love you all and hope that you feel from the bottom of our hearts how much every single thing that has been done for us has meant. I love you all. Please continue to pray for our family as we put one foot in front of the other moving forward.”
However, the written statement wasn’t the only message delivered by Phillips Friday as a poignant profile image change featured the well-known expression “say her name,” prompting many to call out the lack of outrage from career victimhood hustlers while others honed in on President Joe Biden remaining out of touch with the harm his open border policies had brought.
Laken Riley’s mother changed her Facebook profile to this picture today.#SayHerName pic.twitter.com/PYMaZuabLP
— Brick Suit (@Brick_Suit) March 4, 2024
Let’s keep saying her name.
— News Nomad (@The_Nomad_News) March 4, 2024
The mainstream media went wall-to-wall in their coverage of George Floyds funeral, will they cover the funeral of Laken Riley today who was smashed in the head and killed by one of President Bidens criminal illegal aliens? Or are the facts surrounding her murder too inconvenient? pic.twitter.com/H75dCtJM60
— Righteous⚡️Crusader (@Craftmastah) March 1, 2024
On the very day of Laken Riley’s funeral, our President is focused on memorializing a criminal thug!
And they still won’t say her name! https://t.co/ByVP7tbjec— Ruth E. Brown (@RuthEBrown8888) March 3, 2024
Her mother ought to be sitting next to the First Lady at this week’s SOTU address!!! Instead, it will be someone who couldn’t get birth control…I mean, an abortion.
— Kathleen Kennedy (@kennkat) March 4, 2024
If Laken Riley was black and killed by a white man the media coverage would be nonstop. Al Sharpton, Ben Crump and PedoWood would be up in arms. Trump and his supporters would have gotten blamed. Biden would have attended the funeral. You all know that is the truth.
— American Islandman (@N76247476Man) March 3, 2024
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Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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