(NewsNation) — Moscow, Idaho, rarely has murders, but there have been a few instances prior to the killing of four college students in November.
Angela Davidson told NewsNation’s “Banfield” on Tuesday that the recent murder case brought back memories of when her daughter, Sydney Jones, survived a triple murder in Moscow from 2015.
Jones was an Arby’s employee at the time when she witnessed, and survived, a shooting spree while at work. Moscow police captured the suspect, John Lee, who was charged with triple murder and aggravated battery. It brought Jones and her family “some closure and comfort.”
However, since the murder, Jones hasn’t been the same and still isn’t ready to speak about her experience, according to her mom.
“I can’t imagine the family now. And the survivors, especially what they’re going through here, not knowing who did it, and possibly having that person still out there. My daughter still will check the website to make sure John Lee’s in prison. And this is that many years later,” Davidson said.
Davidson said she wished that there had been more mental health resources available to the survivors during the tragedy.
Her advice to the families of the two roommates who survived the recent tragedy: “Love them, listen to them, be there for them. Seek out the professional help. They may say they don’t want it, but they need it. And they are going to process it in so many different ways. It’s nice to have a professional on your side and the support of a mental health professional to get through this time because it’s not a quick thing. There’s a forever scar. And it’s going to be there forever.”
If you have information that could be helpful to law enforcement, you can contact them at their Tip Line: 208-883-7180, email tipline@ci.moscow.id.us, or go online to fbi.gov/moscowidaho.