Sarah Ferguson Mourns Death Of 'Loyal, Hardworking' Assistant

Sarah Ferguson is shocked to hear about the tragic death of her former personal assistant Jenean Chapman, who was killed earlier last week. She shared that they had spoken before her untimely passing.

In an Instagram post, the Duchess of York shared that she was "shocked and saddened" to find out about the tragedy. She wrote: "Jenean Chapman, who worked with me as my personal assistant many years ago, has been murdered in Dallas aged just 46. A suspect is in custody."

She remembered the victim as "loyal, hardworking, beautiful and fun" and admitted that her "heart breaks for her family and friends". Ferguson shared that she heard from Chapman "just a couple of months ago and she seemed so happy".

She added: "Her family is raising money to transport her body back to New York City and pay for legal and funeral costs." Along with her tribute are a couple of photos: one is a throwback of the two of them in the backseat of a car and the other a photo of her former assistant smiling.

Chapman's sister Crystal Marshall shared her gratitude to the royal in the comment section writing: "Thank you for your continual kindness and support towards my sister. Working for you was the best thing that could have happened to her."

She also thanked the Duchess of York for alerting the media about her sister's death in her own Instagram. She wrote: "Many thanks to Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York @sarahferguson15 Who has made the public aware of our great loss. Thank you to those who have contributed so far. If you haven't already please share her story."

Marshall shared that her sister was a victim of domestic abuse and that she "had so much to look forward to and impacted so many people in her life".

According to reports, Chapman's body was discovered inside of a downtown Dallas apartment in the 1400 block of Elm Street about 1:15 p.m. on Monday, September 25. The Dallas County Medical Examiner's Officer ruled her death as a homicide. Her husband, James Patrick, 48, has since been arrested on Tuesday in Austin and is now in custody in Travis County Jail and he "will be charged with murder".

Chapman's employer reportedly alerted authorities when she did not show up for work. Her last employment prior to her death was as senior vice president at Critical Mass over digital marketing. In her post, Ferguson said that she will "be making a donation and supporting the family in any way possible" and added a link in her bio to Chapman's GoFundMe account.