Pregnant Mom of 4 Found Dead in Kansas City, Family 'Trying to Stay Strong' as They Seek Answers from Police
Elaysha Gilliam, 26, was described as someone with a "big personality and an even bigger smile"
A family is looking for answers over five weeks after a 26-year-old pregnant mother was found dead in Kansas City, Missouri.
Elaysha Gilliam's loved ones are "trying to stay strong" and "want closure," they told both NBC News and The Kansas City Star in recent days, after the mother of four was reportedly found dead in a field near the city's Dunbar Park on Feb. 19.
“We are trying to stay strong for the grandkids, but it is really hard because she was really loved and nobody really has any answers as to what happened,” Elaysha's father, Ed Gilliam, told the Star about his daughter, who was 12 weeks pregnant when her homicide investigation began.
As NBC News reported, the Kansas City Police Department hasn't shared many updates regarding Elaysha's death with her family in the weeks since, and no arrests have been made in connection with the investigation.
“I want closure, we need answers,” Clydetta Gilliam, Elaysha’s stepmother, told the outlet. “The police are dragging their feet, but I need to go out here and solve the case myself. They aren’t giving us anything.”
In a statement to PEOPLE on Sunday, a department spokesperson shared that the "investigation is ongoing, and there have not been any updates."
NBC News reported that detectives are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for those with information pertaining to the case, and they are making progress toward a person of interest.
Related: 3rd Man Charged with Murder in Relation to Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl Parade Shooting
Recounting the moment that Elaysha was found last month, NBC News said the mother had “bodily trauma" before she was pronounced dead by emergency crews. Her death certificate notes that she died of multiple gunshot wounds, per the outlet.
“I hope the people who did this would turn themselves in and take responsibility for their actions,” Elaysha's father told The Star. “I hope that if anyone knows anything that they will do the right thing because my daughter was a beautiful person who didn’t deserve this.”
Related: 1 Killed, 22 Wounded in Shooting Near Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl Parade: Police
Gilliam's four children range in age from 2 to 9. One has sickle cell anemia, and another is eating through a feeding tube, NBC noted.
The family has described Elaysha as someone with a "big personality and an even bigger smile," a woman who "loved to be around family," and someone whose smile you could spot "all the way down the street," they told the multiple outlets.
“We’re still at a loss for words. We don’t know what to think,” Elaysha's 18-year-old brother Brandon said. “Death happens, but the wrong person was taken from us.”
“I want my baby to get justice,” Ed added, as Clydetta told NBC she was considering spending $2,000 on a billboard advertisement.
“I’m not gonna let them sweep this under the rug. I want every single person charged,” she said, before adding: “People are starting to forget about her."
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