Mother of young woman found dead in Raleigh believes someone is responsible

This story was updated at 12:50 p.m. May 18, 2021, after police released a recording of the 911 call.

The mother of a young woman found dead in Raleigh on Sunday night believes someone is responsible for her daughter’s death.

“She didn’t kill herself, so somebody did something to her,” Valencia Lightsey told The News & Observer on Monday. “That’s my intuition.”

Officers responding to a call late Sunday night found Amber Lynn Lightsey’s body in the 1000 block of North Rogers Lane, near New Bern Avenue east of downtown Raleigh, the Raleigh Police Department said in a news release.

Amber Lightsey, who was 22, spoke with her mother several times a day, Valencia Lightsey said. She reported her daughter missing Thursday, according to a police report.

Police spokesperson Donna-maria Harris declined to comment on how Lightsey died or whether her death is being investigated as a homicide, stating that the incident remains under investigation.

Lightsey was last seen leaving her job at Club Amnesia in North Raleigh around 4 a.m. Thursday, police said.

A 911 caller on Sunday night reported seeing Lightsey’s car outside a Food Lion and recognizing it from missing posts on social media, according to a recording of the call.

The car had been there for “a couple days,” the caller said.

‘She had a big heart,’ says mother.

“She had a big heart,” Valencia Lightsey said. “She had a big, beautiful smile. She would help you with anything.”

Amber Lightsey, an only child, dreamed of becoming a cosmetologist and planned to enroll in school again after the pandemic, her mother said.

“She wanted to do better for herself,” Valencia Lightsey said.

Valencia Lightsey said she hopes anyone involved in her daughter’s death will be brought to justice.

“You cry, you cry, until you’re just exhausted,” she said. “And then it turns to anger that somebody made it their choice to end her life.”

This story was originally published May 17, 2021 at 4:53 PM.