Rachelle Bergeron, 33, was shot to death after going for a run with her dog Monday night on the island, where she served as acting attorney general. Her dog was also fatally shot.
Who killed an American prosecutor on the tiny Pacific island of Yap?
Rachelle Bergeron, 33, was shot to death after going for a run with her dog Monday night on the island, where she served as acting attorney general. Her dog was also fatally shot.
While there has been no official comment, it's believed her job could have been the motivation for the murder. Her husband, Simon Hammerling, said that she was at times so fearful for her life that she slept with a machete under her pillow.
Hammerling was inside the couple's shared home baking brownies when his wife was shot. They were just about to celebrate their first wedding anniversary.
Bergeron was originally from Wisconsin and moved to Yap back in 2015 to work as assistant attorney general. She was scheduled to return to America soon following her four-year stint on the island.
Yap island is a former U.S. territory and one of the most remote places on Earth, situated about 4,500 miles west of Hawaii. Its crystal-clear waters make it a prime destination for divers.
In a statement, Bergeron's parents told Inside Edition: "We are in a place that no family wants to be, planning a funeral for a life senselessly cut short."
The FBI has launched an investigation into the murder.
RELATED STORIES
