A vigil was held Saturday night for a South Jersey woman whose sudden disappearance and apparent suicide of her boyfriend have sparked fears from police and the community that foul play was involved.
The prayer vigil was held for 23-year-old Sapphire Wiggins of Atlantic City. Wiggins was reported missing October 19. Her sister told police she had not heard from her since Oct. 14. Wiggins’ car is still parked outside her apartment on North New York Avenue and several attempts to reach her on her cellphone have been unsuccessful.
Wiggins’ boyfriend, 50-year-old Kevin Shelton, was found dead in Runnemede, Camden County Oct. 18 after committing suicide, according to investigators. According to his obituary, the father of two was still married to his wife of 30 years.
"It makes me think that if he committed suicide, he could have done something to my daughter and that could be the reason for his suicide," said Wiggins' father David Wiggins. "They seemed happy. She was happy. They said they were going to get married soon. They wanted me to be there."
According to David Wiggins however, one of his sons told him there appeared to be trouble between Sapphire and Shelton shortly before her disappearance.
"He said that they were having some problems when he last saw them," David Wiggins said.
Sources told NBC10 investigators are trying to determine if there’s a connection between Shelton’s death and Wiggins’ disappearance. The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office is also assisting in the investigation.
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Wiggins is the mother of a young son. Family members told NBC10 he's staying with his maternal grandmother as the search for his mother continues.
Wiggins is described as a black female standing 5-foot-1 and weighing 110 pounds. She also has several tattoos, including an “S” on her left wrist, a picture of a puzzle on her right wrist, the name “Jamil” on her chest and a “K” for Kevin on her ring finger.
If you have any information on Wiggins’ whereabouts, please call the Atlantic City Police Department at (609) 347-5766, or text anonymously to TIP411, beginning with the text "ACPD."
