Mississippi Police Seeking Clues in Case of Teenager Burned to Death

It was supposed to be a quick dinner stop, but it ended in an awful tragedy.

“No one can believe this really happened to a child,” her father, Ben Chambers, tells PEOPLE. “She was burnt alive. This was cold-blooded murder. They have every person you can think of working on the case. They are checking all leads. It doesn’t matter how big or little.”

New evidence has emerged in the killing of Jessica Chambers, a Mississippi teenager who died after apparently being intentionally set alight.

Police have released security video from the Courtland gas station where Chambers had filled up on December 6, less than two hours before her death. It shows her dressed casually — in a black sweater and loose pajama pants — walking toward the convenience store when it appears she waved to someone she knew, then turned and walked out of the frame.

Ali Fadhel, the convenience store’s manager, says Chambers received a call on her way out and spoke on the phone before heading south on Highway 51. Ninety minutes after Chambers left the gas station, a motorist called 911 to report a burning car on Herron Road.

When Firefighters arrived they found Chambers engulfed in flames not far from her car, which was also on fire. It is understood she whispered a name to one of the firefighters, but police are not making it public.

Panola County Sheriff Dennis Darby said Chambers had been doused with some kind of accelerant and had a gash on her head. She received burns to 98 percent of her body and died shortly after being airlifted to the hospital.

Police are reviewing Chambers’ cellphone records to determine who she spoke to that night.