Homicide victim was
childlike
05/26/03
TRACY
JAN
She wanted desperately to be
independent. A grown-up. Like other 22-year-olds.
But Jessica Kate Williams,
born with fetal alcohol syndrome, had the mental capacity of a 12-year-old, her
family says. She lived with her parents in Gladstone. She wasn't allowed to
drive. She got along best with children, especially her 9-year-old nephew.
At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds,
Jessica was a "little girl in a big woman's body," said her sister,
Noel Williams, 18. Despite her imposing figure, she was "a big teddy bear,
the sweetest, most kind person," her sister said. She wore a beaming
smile, and was quick to give and receive hugs and kisses.
So Williams' family was
baffled when her body was discovered between railroad tracks near the Eastbank
Esplanade early Friday. She had been beaten over the head.
Portland police detectives
are still investigating the death, said Henry Groepper, a Police Bureau
spokesman.
But some who knew Williams
forecasted danger. As much as Williams craved independence, she was dependent
on others.
Unbeknownst to her parents,
Williams had affiliated with gang members over the last decade, said Loren
Whitcomb, 17, a close friend of Williams. Whitcomb met Williams four years ago
at a friend's birthday party.
"Jessica was like a
little sister to me, even though she's older than me," Whitcomb said.
"She was sweet and innocent. She wasn't a person who beat up people."
Williams lived with
Whitcomb's family in Southeast Portland for a week when she was having problems
at home earlier this year, Whitcomb said. She also lived in a downtown Portland
shelter for a couple of months, where she befriended homeless youths. And
during the week before her death, Whitcomb said, Jessica lived beneath the
Steel Bridge.
On Wednesday, Jessica
visited the Whitcombs to borrow a bike from Loren. His father, Terrence
Whitcomb, said he talked to Williams for about 45 minutes to persuade her to
return home to her parents. Williams promised to meet with her pastor about her
family problems, Terrence Whitcomb said.
Sam and Rebecca Williams
adopted Jessica when she was 9 months old. She was one of their 14 children --
ages 8 to 40 -- nine of whom are adopted and seven of whom have some form of
disability, Noel Williams said.
Jessica Williams graduated
from Gladstone High School in 1999. She learned to take the bus and worked at
Ross Dress For Less in downtown Portland during the last holiday season.
Rebecca Williams kept close
tabs on Jessica and made it a rule that she check in regularly. And Jessica did
-- often late, sometimes from a friend's house, the streets or a downtown
homeless shelter -- but she always called to tell her family she was OK, Noel
Williams said.
Her family last saw Jessica
on May 17, when she left her Gladstone home over her mother's objections to
hang out with friends.
The outgoing, bubbly
Williams was naive and trusting, quick to see the best in people, family and
friends say.
Williams' family said they
worked to keep her safe but that it was hard to set boundaries once Williams
reached adulthood. According to her family, she didn't think about
consequences. She had no sense of time. She could not foresee danger. She
couldn't tell when someone was trying to take advantage of her, said her aunt,
Cindy Allison.
"Jessica didn't want
to recognize that she had the mind of a child," Allison said. "She
just wanted to make a life for herself. She wanted to be what a normal
22-year-old could be."
Tracy Jan: tracyjan@news.oregonian.com
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