A 72-year-old woman was found dead in her home in Bladensburg, Maryland, after police say she was attacked by her son.
Lorena Royster was the victim, Prince George’s County police said.
Only on News4, her loved ones and best friends told News4 they’re grappling with the loss of a woman who meant so much to so many.
“She made sure that people felt that love, from how she made you feel and how, what she did for you,” her niece Stacie Burgess said.
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Royster enjoyed her family and church and is remembered as someone who was always just one phone call away.
Her best friend of 24 years, Bernadetta Harris, said she last saw Royster on Sunday.
“I just truly miss her,” she said. “We spoke every day several times a day, and we didn’t go to bed at night unless we said 'good night' and 'I love you.'”
Police say the North Carolina native was found unresponsive on Tuesday as officers conducted a welfare check at her family’s apartment in the 4100 block of 53rd Place.
Royster was found with a handcuff on her wrist and had a stab wound to her neck, court documents say.
Her son Reginald English, 51, is accused of assaulting her and faces first- and second-degree murder charges. Police are still working to determine a possible motive.
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Royster’s family and friends are leaning on their memories in the face of tragedy, Burgess said.
“The joy that she had and that she brought to everybody – that will be the void that’s left, but also the lessons learned through all of this is how to be more like her,” she said.
