The former personal assistant to Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, was murdered in Texas this week, allegedly by her own husband.
Ferguson paid tribute to her former aide in an Instagram post released Friday, as news spread that Jenean Chapman, 46, had been found murdered in her Dallas apartment on Monday.
“Jenean was loyal, hardworking, beautiful and fun and my heart breaks for her family and friends,” Ferguson wrote. “I heard from her just a couple of months ago and she seemed so happy.”
Authorities deemed Chapman’s death a homicide a day after her body was discovered. Two days after the murder, Chapman’s husband, James Patrick, was identified as a suspect and taken into custody 200 miles from the scene of the crime, the Dallas Police Department said. University of Texas Police found and arrested the 48-year-old, who is now being held in Travis County jail on murder charges.
Chapman’s sister took to Instagram with a touching tribute for her sibling, writing of her sister’s many accomplishments and the impact she left on those who knew her.
“She had so much to look forward to and impacted so many people in her life,” Crystal Marshall wrote. “Her accomplishments are too many to count. Even though her presence is no longer with us her light will continue to shine in our hearts and fond memories we have of her.”
“I love and miss you dearly sis and wish you weren’t taken away from us so soon. I hope now that you have eternal peace and find rest in the Father of Spirits,” she wrote.
Nicole Marshall, another sister of Chapman, described to NBC the “toxic” nature of Chapman and Patrick’s “on-and-off relationship.” Noting that the two had only been married a couple months, she said: “It was rocky, we were aware of that.”
Police have not revealed details on how Chapman was killed, but her family said her place of employment alerted authorities after she failed to show up for work.
Chapman had spent four years working with the office of Sarah Ferguson in the early 2000s. Nearly two decades later, she had worked her way up to senior vice president at the Canadian marketing company Critical Mass, according to her LinkedIn.
“She was a force to be reckoned with, she was a role model. She was an amazing person, and I still look up to her. I always look up to her as like what I wanted to accomplish in my corporate career,” Nicole Marshall told NBC.
The Duchess of York has shared an appeal to help Chapman’s family bring her home in the wake of the tragedy.
“Her family is raising money to transport her body back to New York City and pay for legal and funeral costs,” Ferguson wrote. “I will be making a donation and supporting the family in any way possible—please help if you can.”
Chapman’s family created a GoFundMe page in her name, urging those who can donate to help with the cost of transportation and for assistance with legal fees in order to help “provide justice.”