Local News

'My heart is broken:' Mother of woman found dead in Raleigh parking lot tells of last time they spoke

Raleigh police confirmed a woman found dead on Sunday night in a Raleigh parking lot was Amber Lightsey.

Posted Updated

By
Brett Knese
, WRAL multimedia reporter; Bryan Mims, WRAL reporter
RALEIGH, N.C. — Raleigh police confirmed a woman found dead on Sunday night in a Raleigh parking lot was Amber Lightsey.

The 22 year old from Knightdale had been missing since last week, and WRAL News spoke with her mother this afternoon.

Her body was found in a car in a parking lot off North Rogers Lane and New Bern Avenue, outside a shopping plaza that includes a Food Lion.

Raleigh police have not said how she died, but the young woman's mom said she's now focused on seeking justice.

Pictures of Lightsey were shared on social media last week when she first went missing. On Friday, Raleigh police tweeted her photo, saying she was last seen around 4 a.m., leaving her job at Club Amnesia, a nightclub off Wake Forest Road. She was driving a 2008 Toyota Camry.

On Sunday night, her body was found in a silver sedan in a parking lot five miles away.

"Your kids are your everything," said Valencia Lightsey.

Amber was Valencia Lightsey's only child. They lived together in Knightdale.

She last saw her daughter Tuesday, and last spoke with her on the phone Wednesday.

"We just had our morning conversation, and everything seemed fine. She told me she loved me, and I told her I loved her, and that was it," she said.

"My baby was found last night and is no longer with us.," Valencia Lightsey posted on Facebook. "My heart is broken. Never have I felt the pain that I am feeling now."

She declined to say anything about the investigation, or what might have led to her daughter's death.

"Right now, just seeing how she was taken from us. It's just a determination to bring justice for her," she said.

She says Amber had dreams of becoming a cosmetologist and a model.

"She was a caring child. She had to find her way, like most kids her age," she said. "She was working toward finding her niche."

Valencia Lightsey said her focus is now honoring her daughter's memory — and finding who's responsible for her death.

"It's just a struggle to sit here and talk without breaking down," she said.

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.