DETROIT (WXYZ) — A community in mourning is remembering the life of Patrice Wilson, a nurse at DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital, who police say was kidnapped by an ex-boyfriend as she was leaving work over the weekend.
Her body was found in Novi on Sunday, and the ex-boyfriend accused of killing her is now in custody.
It’s been a week filled with grief, sadness and heartache but Thursday, there was hope. In the midst of tragedy, there was a celebration for a life that touched so many.
“I'm happy today to see all these people out because we all love her so much," Wilson's sorority sister Tamera Turner said. "I'm just happy. My heart is full.”
A vigil at El Bethel Church in Redford Township was a sign of what Wilson meant to everyone she touched, from her family to her coworkers and her Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. sisters at Oakland University.
“There’s always going to be the fun parts of the sorority, but this type of thing right here is what matters the most,” sorority sister Imari Williams said. “When something like this happens, something tragic or when you’re really in need, this is when we do show up in numbers and lend that helping hand."
Wilson's sorority sisters planned the vigil and say Wilson was not just a sister but a role model, a mentor and friend.
"Without her, we wouldn't have been part of the sorority,” sorority sister Deja Yeargin said. "The way she was with her son, it’s very much an inspiration.”
“Patrice was just beautiful — her soul was, her smile was, the way she carried herself,” sorority sister Elise Love said.
“She was a great nurse, she did great in school and I am just speechless about what’s going on right now,” sorority sister Aaiyana West added.
Wilson was working the overnight shift at DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital and was leaving work Saturday morning when police say an ex-boyfriend kidnapped her in the parking lot. Her body was then found Sunday in the trunk of her car in Novi.
“It's very heartbreaking and no one could even think this would happen to her at all,” West said. “This shouldn't have been the way that she passed, but I'm glad people are coming together in memory of her."
Friends say Wilson was a light in this world. Coworkers set up a GoFundMe page for funeral costs and a college fund for her 7-year-old son. It’s already passed $20,000.
There will be a ceremony at El Bethel on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
