MONROE COUNTY, Tenn. — It was an emotional day for a Monroe County family. Wednesday marked a year since Elizabeth French was killed after being ejected from a car. Police said that a Detroit man is accused of holding her at gunpoint and causing her to crash.
Elizabeth French was killed in the high-speed chase. Police believe she was being held at gunpoint by the passenger Steven Drayton. He is being held in jail on first-degree murder and kidnapping charges.
Loved ones gathered for a memorial near the spot where she died on Highway 68 in Madisonville. They released dozens of balloons with high hopes for justice.
"She should be here with her babies," said her best friend Kendra Johnson.
Jenilee Frank said she doesn't want people to forget about what happened to her little sister and she thinks about her every single day.
"She was free-spirited. She trusted everybody. She always tried to see the good in everybody," Frank said. "A piece of my heart left on September 8, 2020, that I will never get back."
French was a mother, a sister and a friend who left behind three young children. She had a 12-year-old son, as well as 5-year-old and 7-year-old daughters.
"He took my sister at gunpoint from my mother’s house. It ended up in Sweetwater and some random bystander dialed 911 saying that he was beating her," Frank said.
French’s family, loved ones and community said they are trying to focus on remembering Elizabeth for the person she was.
"She brought me out of my shell. I was very shy before I met Elizabeth and you can't be shy around her," Johnson said.
"She was always happy, she always put a smile on everybody's face," said her other best friend Casey Dockery.
The people at the balloon release also had a common goal. They said they wanted justice for French’s death.
"Hopefully they get justice. Wish she was here for her and her kids and all of us," Dockery said.
The case has been sent to the grand jury. Drayton's trial is set to start in 2022.