FARNHAMVILLE, Iowa — The small town of Farnhamville, located in Calhoun County, is reeling after the discovery of 17-year-old Michele "Luna" Jackson's body in the city park over the weekend.
A suspect has been charged with first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse in the case.
Troy Jepsen, the mayor of Farnhamville, posted a statement to Facebook remembering the teenage girl. The referenced GoFundMe page can be found here.
Full statement from Mayor Troy Jepsen
First, my heart hurts for all involved in this week’s tragedy. I hurt for this family that has to endure this. I’ve tried to make sense of it, but it’s absolutely senseless.
One of our youths was taken from us way too early, before she was able to fully make her mark on the world, Michele “Luna” Jackson
I remember Michele from holiday parties in grade school when I would volunteer to help, she was in the same grade as my son, she was always so excited to have someone new in the classroom to show her pictures to that they might have been working on, or the excitement of the party that was going on.
Later you could usually find her on the swings in the park, or riding her bike with her headphones on, just being a kid, like it should be in a small town.
I feel for our first responders, that’s never the call you want to get, these stay with you forever. I appreciate the work they did to help and the long hours they put in and are still putting in to make sure this is work is done correctly so the right outcome is achieved.
What has happened in our city should never happen anywhere, let alone in a place we have built on love and respect for our neighbors, and where we take our kids to play and enjoy themselves, where we have our celebrations, a place that holds dear memories of family, friends, and laughter.
Talk, lean on each other, know your neighbor is watching you to ensure you're alright, help one another. This is what we have to do to heal our small town.
I would encourage folks to reach out to the family with a hug, a shoulder, or just a conversation. There are some long days ahead, holidays that will never be the same.
There will be a community candlelight vigil Sunday night 9/29/24 at 7:30pm
There is a “Go Fund me” set up and there may be other ways to help that come out soon and we will share those details as well on our social media when the plans have been made.
Again, from myself, my family, and the city please keep this family and all first responders that have been affected by this tragedy in your prayers and let's come together for them anyway we can.
Thank You,
Mayor Troy Jepsen