The FBI in Mississippi said the Panola County investigation into the death of 19-year-old Jessica Chambers, who was burned alive last December, resulted in the arrests and indictments of 17 suspected gang members on Tuesday in Operation Bite Back, according to the Cubic Lane.
On Dec. 6, 2014, Chambers left her home to get something to eat but was stopped by an assailant who poured gasoline down her nose and throat and set her ablaze, burning every part of her body except the bottom of her feet. She was later found wandering on a Courtland road with her body still on fire, according to the New York Daily News.
Police have interviewed more than 150 people connected to the case and have gone through more than 20,000 phone records. This eventually blossomed into a federal search leading to numerous arrests, which were a byproduct of the initial Chambers investigation but were not directly related to that homicide investigation. Numerous other illegal activities were uncovered, however, as the FBI targeted members of the Black Gangster Disciples, Vice Lords and Sipp Mob street gangs.
The 17 suspects were charged with a variety of crimes including child endangerment, possession of stolen firearms, narcotics sales, felon in possession of a firearm and possession of counterfeit currency, according to NewsOXY.
None of the arrests led to any leads or charges in Chambers' death, according to the New York Daily News.
"It's taken eight or nine months, if not a little longer, to get to this point," said District Attorney John Champion, "and this is not over by any stretch of the imagination."
Champion acknowledged the fact that Chambers did communicate with first responders before her death but has declined to reveal what she said.
