Family, Friends Remember Gibbs
WARSAW — Sarah Jane Gibbs, Warsaw, would have turned 35 two days ago, Thursday, Sept. 24, but she never got the chance.
Last December, just a few days before Christmas, Gibbs was murdered and her house set on fire. The killer is still at large.
Saturday afternoon, Sept. 26, family and friends of Gibbs gathered at the Kosciusko County fairgrounds to remember her, to celebrate her life and to plead with the community to remain vigilant as police continue to search for Gibbs’s killer.
The event was originally intended as an awareness program, letting the community know that the killer is still free.
“However, we soon realized that this rally should also celebrate Sarah’s life,” Gibbs’s father, Howard Gibbs, said.
Friends from Gibbs’s Zumba class performed to three of her favorite songs. Across the fairgrounds, volunteers were starting to set up for this year’s Soul Takers Acres haunted house, an annual favorite event of Gibbs’s.
“She went through the haunted house so many times for so many years, they stopped charging her,” Howard said. “If they wanted to try something new in the haunted house, they’d test it out on her.”
Howard speculated what the killer’s behavior may have been in the days and weeks leading up to Gibbs’s death. Likely, he said, Gibbs did not know the person, but he or she may have had contact with her through her community activities.
“Or, he may have just seen her around town,” Howard said. “He probably stalked Sarah on her way home, which may have included block circling on a bicycle or in a vehicle or hanging about the neighborhood on foot. This could have occurred many weeks before the actual incident.”
Howard reiterated his plea to the community to be vigilant and for those who may know anything in relation to the case to come forward.
“This cowardly killer may strike again,” Howard said.
He pointed out that the killer would likely have had blood on his or her clothing and would have smelled of smoke due to the way the fire was set.
Michiana Crime Stoppers is offering $10,000 for information on the case. Anyone with information regarding the murder of Sarah Gibbs is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers at (574) 288-STOP or 800-342-STOP.
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