COURTLAND, Miss. — Jessica Chambers was a regular at the rural convenience store gas station where Ali Fadhel worked, and the two often chatted. On Saturday, she came by in a dark-colored sweater and pajama pants that looked like sweatpants. She bought $14 worth of gas, more than the $5 or so she usually purchased, he said.
"I asked her, 'Why are you putting so much gas?' She said, 'I'm going somewhere,'" Fadhel said.
An hour and a half later, she was found along a back road, severe burns all over her body. Someone had set her on fire, and she was able to briefly talk to firefighters before she died of thermal injuries.
Chambers, 19, had told the cashier she was going to make a stop before going home, he told said.
"If she knew she had a problem with somebody, she would have told me," Fadhel said.
On her way out, Chambers got a call on her cellphone, he said. After she pumped gas, she re-entered the store, bought cigarettes, and drove away, headed south on the highway, he said.
On Thursday, officials said they were still working to determine who doused her with a flammable liquid and set her on fire. They said they'd made no arrests and didn't expect any in the near future, but that they would continue to follow up on all tips.