JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville mother who police said was found murdered hours after she was reported missing is being remembered as a woman with a beautiful spirit.
Police said 46-year-old Rosemene Decius worked at the United States Postal Service, and her coworkers said she was a delight to be around.
“She was a beautiful person inside and outside and loved her kids,” Decius’ co-worker Khalilah Mitchell said. “She talked about them all the time and how she proud she was of them.”
Mitchell said the two would greet each other with hugs and kisses every time they saw each other.
On July 7, USPS told the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office that Decius hadn’t been to work, according to an arrest report. The same day, Decius’ daughter called police to report her missing, saying that she hadn’t heard from her all day, which wasn’t normal.
JSO’s missing person unit searched the area of Hampton Landing Drive. According to the report, investigators saw what looked like a pool of blood in a bed.
After a search of her home, according to the report, investigators learned that there was a struggle, and saw what looked like a pool of blood in a bed, leading them to suspect foul play.
Evidence from the home led investigators to list Pierre Pinard, 53, as a person of interest in her disappearance. Police said Decius and Pinard were in a relationship and lived together.
Pinard was also seen coming and going from the house in a silver Chevy Malibu several times that morning. When police got a warrant for his car, the report said, they found Decius’ body inside the trunk of the car that was parked in the garage.
He was then arrested and charged with murder.
“I never thought someone would hurt her like that. She wasn’t even confrontational. I’ve never even seen her mad or upset. If people knew the person she was they would understand that she didn’t deserve it,” Mitchell said.
According to JSO, Pinard’s background only includes a few traffic citations.
He is being held without bond, and his next court date is Aug. 1.