SEMINOLE, Fla. — While investigators in North Carolina continue to probe into the death of 29-year-old Sara Ellis, her family members are still in shock over the devastating news of her loss.
- Ellis's family lived in Asheville, NC when she was younger
- Ellis took a seasonal job at the Pisgah Inn to spend time there
- Co-worker Derek Pendergraft, 20, charged with 2nd degree murder
"Outgoing" and "friendly" are the words Ellis's sister, Carrie, used to describe her younger sister.
"She was the kindest person that you've ever met,” Carrie said. “When she was little we had a nickname for her. We called her 'Sassy Sara' because she had a little bit of attitude, but she just wanted to make people laugh."
Carrie said it was Sara’s love of people that brought her back to Asheville, North Carolina, where their family lived when they were younger. Sara took a seasonal job as a cook at the Pisgah Inn, located along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway.
"She was telling me how she liked it there and I asked if she was making friends, and she said she was and work was going great,” Carrie said. “It was the first time she moved that she really sounded happy."
That was one week before Sara decided to go hiking after work with one of her co-workers at the inn. Now that man, Derek Pendergraft, 20, has been charged with 2nd degree murder for Sara’s death.
Investigators say Pendergraft admitted to killing Sara, whose body was found along a trail hours after he initially told his managers she was missing.
"I did the typical screams,” Carrie said, describing her reaction upon hearing what happened. “Cried, fell on the floor screamed 'no, no, no,' just like you see in movies. But it wasn't a movie, and it's not supposed to happen in real life."
A fundraiser for Sara Ellis’s funeral arrangements has been set up at https://www.gofundme.com/saraellis.
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