'Sweet as gold' mother's body found in shopping cart in Richmond alley

RICHMOND, Va. — A Richmond mother is pleading for help after learning her daughter was killed after seeing a post on Facebook.

Emonyi Rainey’s body was found wrapped in a blanket in an old shopping cart. The disturbing discovery happened on Richmond's Southside in an alley near the 1900 block of Krouse Street on Tuesday, June 4.

Her body remained unidentified in the morgue at the Medical Examiner’s office for almost a month.

But when Colondra Williams saw information on a Facebook post on June 30, she said, "That's my daughter."

"The information I gave her, she basically told me it was my daughter," Williams recalled.

Provided to WTVR

Specific tattoos and their placement helped detectives and the medical examiner identify the body of the 28-year-old mother of two.

"My daughter had specific tattoos that I knew about,” she said. “My grandkids’ names, where they were on her or where they were located."

Williams said detectives told her that her daughter's case was a homicide investigation.

"They did a welfare check at her apartment and that's all they told me," Williams said.

WTVR

Rainey’s body was found about 8 miles from her East End apartment.

But Key Key Pullins does not believe her sister was killed at the Krouse Street location.

“From what I heard they say there were no blankets on her bed when they went to her apartment," Pullins said.

WTVR

The life of the young and free-spirited mother, who is survived by an 11-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son, was cut tragically short

Dozens of family members are grappling with the sudden loss and wondering why it happened.

"She's like her mother. She has a no-nonsense attitude," Williams said. "She's sweet as gold. She kept her heart on her sleeve. She'd give you anything that you need."

But Williams also admitted that her daughter could also be weak.

"I say that because she'd let people use her," Williams said. "No matter what the situation if she had it, she'd give it to the next person."

Several Major Crimes detectives are assigned to Rainey’s case.

If you have information that could help detectives, call Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000 or submit a tip online at https://rvacrimestoppers.org . The P3 Tips Crime Stoppers app for smartphones may also be used. All three Crime Stoppers methods of contact are anonymous.

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