Family calls for justice for slain Fuquay-Varina woman

Police said they are investigating the death of Sandra Denise Thomas, 41, as a homicide. The cause of her death has not been determined.

"This was a malicious killing, and it has to stop," her friend Ebony Banks said.

Jones was among the mourners who gathered to remember Thomas' life at the spot where her body was found. They sang, cried, lit candles and left flowers and stuffed animals at a memorial.

"She was an angel in disguise really," Thomas' cousin Tommy Davis said. "She came into the room and lit the room up."

Thomas left behind a 10-year-old son, Davis said.

Family members said they just want to know why Thomas died.

"We are still waiting," her cousin Geraldine Jones said. "It's hard. Not knowing is the hard part."

"Justice needs to be served. Justice needs to be done," Banks said. "A life is not yours to take."