A GoFundMe campaign has been started for Isabella Alexandria Stroupe, 19, who was found dead in a house. North Carolina Home. On May 1, police were called to the charlotteThere, they found the teen unresponsive, according to a North Carolina official. Press release Shared by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Stroup was pronounced dead at the scene.
Stroup’s boyfriend, Thomaz Kenon Hamilton, 24, has been arrested. He faces charges of first-degree murder and first-degree rape.
Stroup was found dead on the bed where she was allegedly restrained, according to an affidavit cited by WBTV, WCNC and The Charlotte Observer. Hamilton told investigators the two were having sex when he believed she had suffered a heart attack.
However, the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the manner of death to be kill.
The Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner’s Office also found Stroup had been stabbed and suffered multiple fractures, according to the affidavit. According to investigators, Stroup had been tortured for months and was unable to consent to sex. The affidavit also said authorities found several pieces of evidence inside the house, including a bloody knife, a baseball bat, a sword and more.
Isabella Stroup GoFundMe
Stroop’s sister Marleigh Bailey launched to fund me For her.
“It is with deep sadness that my sister Isabella Stroup passed away suddenly today at the age of 19,” Bailey wrote. “Our family was completely unprepared for this loss. We never thought we would be faced with such heartbreaking circumstances, and now we are trying to find the resources to give her the farewell she deserved. The loss of Isabella has left a huge hole in our lives, and we are seeking help to pay for her funeral and memorial service.”
“I loved Isabella dearly. She was a total nerd and was always reading and sharing her favorite stories with me. She loved fan fiction and My Little Pony and her creativity brought so much joy to our family. Remembering her passion for books and the joy she brought to those around her makes this loss that much harder,” she added, calling for funds to be raised “to give Isabella a proper farewell”.
Learn more | Who is Isabella Stroup? Teen found dead in North Carolina home, tortured for months; boyfriend arrested
Family members speak out
Bailey posted on Facebook that as she was preparing to attend her uncle’s funeral, her mother called to tell her Isabella had died.
“Before I could even fully process this loss, we were already having to make funeral arrangements. This was all so sudden and none of us were prepared for it. We ask for your prayers as my family and I work through this terrible loss. I love my sister and I will never forget that. I’m so glad the last thing I told her was that I loved her. Thank you for all your kind messages. We love her so much,” Bailey wrote.
Bailey said in another post that the media had been referring to her sister as a “19-year-old female” and even misspelled her name.
“I want to come here and speak for all the people who don’t understand. Isabella was murdered. That’s known. The rest we can’t really say. She was taken by another man. I know she is safe now and there is no more pain where she is. There is no pain,” she wrote.
“In the news, her name was even misspelled and she was referred to as a 19-year-old woman. But that’s not her. She was Bella. She was a sister, a daughter, a granddaughter, a niece, a friend, and so much more. She was important. I long to one day talk to her again, but until then I will never stop telling people that she is loved. She will be remembered,” Bailey added.
Meanwhile, Stroup’s mother, Emily Stroup, told WCCB the family is living a nightmare.
“I just don’t understand. How could you do this to someone?” Emily asked.
“It’s like a nightmare that keeps getting worse and worse and every day there’s a new, fresh hell waiting for me,” she added.
Hamilton was arrested on Tuesday, May 5, on charges of first-degree murder and rape in connection with the case. He was transported to the Law Enforcement Center (LEC) to be interviewed by homicide detectives and later transferred to the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.
