Sarah Ferguson has paid tribute to her former personal assistant, following her shocking murder.
The Duchess of York said she was “shocked and saddened” to learn of the death of Jenean Chapman, 46, whose body was found at her home in Dallas, Texas, earlier this week.
NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth reported that a 48-year-old man, James Patrick, was arrested by police in Austin, Texas, on suspicion of her murder.
Sarah, 63, wrote on Instagram: “I am shocked and saddened to learn that 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.
“Jenean was loyal, hardworking, beautiful and fun and my heart breaks for her family and friends. I heard from her just a couple of months ago and she seemed so happy. Her family is raising money to transport her body back to New York City and pay for legal and funeral costs.
“I will be making a donation and supporting the family in any way possible – please help if you can at the link in my bio.”
Jenean worked for Sarah from 2001 to 2005, helping to plan her travel, press and tours, along with doing research and looking after her diary.
Speaking to reporters after her body was found, Jenean’s sister, Nicole Marshall said: “She was a force to be reckoned with, she was a role model.
“She was an amazing person, and I still look up to her. I always look up to her as like what I wanted to accomplish in my corporate career.
“She was just an accomplished intellectual. She was a kind person and compassionate. She had a heart of mush.”
Sibling Crystal Marshall added: “Her first job out of college was working with Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York.
“So she worked with the royal family as a personal assistant, and then from there, she worked at Def Jam, so she worked with the Simmons family.”