INDIANAPOLIS — Shannon Lassere is described as a friend to many, but only a few got to call her "mom."
"If you ever met her or you ran across her, you'd be itching to come back and be in her presence," said Justin Smith, Lassere's son. "She was just beautiful, in and out."
Smith said his 58-year-old mom was found stabbed to death across the street from where she lived the morning of Jan. 27 in the 2200 block of North Mitthoefer Road.
"The way she was taken from us, I can't help but imagine how scared she was, you know? What she was thinking, her last thoughts. It hurts. It hurts," Smith said as a tear fell down his cheek.
Cecilia Lassere, Shannon's daughter, said the last time she saw her mom was Friday night. She said her mom left to walk over to a gas station and never came back home.
"Why would someone hurt her?" Cecilia said. "She was so welcoming. Any of my friends that was ever in my life, she welcomed them in. She was just the best person ever. Like, she made me the mom I am today."
Remembering Shannon Lassere
Less than a week later, another woman was found dead just a few yards away from where Lassere was found. Indianapolis police told 13News at this time, they don't believe the two cases are connected.
Lassere's kids think otherwise.
"For my mom to be found and then for someone else to be found in the same area later, something is definitely going on, and I hope they find justice, and I hope God definitely does that person for what that person's done," Cecilia said.
Cecilia will remember her mom every time she looks at her own kids.
"My mom loved her kids as much as she could," Cecilia said. "Love. That's what I'm going to take away from this — love."