‘To think about that poor child...you just hope he will be okay’
The shocking death of the “popular, bubbly and beautiful” 21-year-old has been met with disbelief both near her family home off Dublin Hill and a short distance away where she rented a house in Blackpool.
One local woman said: “It is a terrible tragedy for the family, but it is so awful to think about that poor child and you just hope he will be okay.”
Jessica came from a popular family in the Thorndale Estate off Dublin Hill where she was part of a close-knit group of young friends.
On Saturday night those friends had the painful task of laying flowers at the house where her body was found, with cards saying that they would miss her, they loved her and they would never forget her.
A neighbour of the family’s in Thorndale said he had known Jessica all her life and that she was a “lovely and beautiful girl”.
Another said the entire area would have had a soft spot for Jessica. She said: “She was the most popular of little girls — everybody would have known her — I couldn’t tell you how upset people are.”
Ballyvolane councillor Annette Spillane said the family needed privacy, while the whole parish was struggling to understand what happened. “Everybody has been touched by this; she was a beautiful girl, loads of people knew her and she would have had loads and loads of friends. It is the most unbelievable shock and the community up here is devastated.”
Local priest Fr John O’Donovan said everybody would do what they could to support the Prendergasts.
“The family was prayed for at all Masses today. The whole community is saddened and our thoughts and prayers go out to them.”
Jessica attended St Aidan’s Community College and remained close to many of her old school friends despite living with her partner in Bandon for the last couple of years. She and her son had moved back to the area recently, although her partner is believed to have stayed on in Bandon.
Deputy Kathleen Lynch TD said: “When the news broke first people couldn’t figure out who it was because she had only just moved into that house and people did not realise that.
“She was from a very quiet family; there was a lot of them in the area so as soon as people realised who she was they were in complete shock. It would be a close community.”
