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Family and friends remember Chelsea Longshore following tragic death

BUENA VISTA, Colo. (KRDO) -- Friends and family of a Cañon City woman murdered in Pueblo are speaking out to Newschannel 13 to share her life and memory.

Tyler Mitchell is accused of killing Chelsea Longshore inside his mobile home last month, after allegedly mistaking her for a different woman, who had turned him into police on another occasion.

Chelsea's friends and family describe her as a funny and loving mother who was always working on something creative — whether it be crocheting blankets or building lego sets.

Now, loved ones are picking up the pieces from her loss, raising her kids left behind, and trying to make sense of her tragic death.

"She was a fun, bubbly, just super loving person with a heart of gold," said Chaneesa Bowyer, Chelsea's friend.

"The best way to describe Chelsea is: if she got knocked down, she'd get back up, and she'd come back three times stronger,” said Olivia Mathias, Chelsea's friend.

Despite being a loving daughter and a friend to many, all agree her most beloved title was ‘Mom.’

"Her kids were the most important thing in her life," said Bowyer.

“She absolutely adored her children," said Lesa Durham, Chelsea’s mother. "When she was younger, somebody asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, and all she would ever say is, 'I want to be a mom.’"

Chelsea was a social butterfly known for making friends anywhere she went.

It’s a positive trait, that may have unfortunately led to her demise.

Police say she was shot and killed by a man she met just hours before her death.

"One of my best friends was taken," said Mathias. "She was taken away from her mom. She was taken away from us. She was taken away from my kids. Her kids. And that's what hurts the most. I still battle it every day."

"It's just something you cannot put into words," Durham said. "People can’t understand unless they’ve lost a child, the depth of that pain. It’s an absolute destruction of your world. We never expect for this to happen, and it should never happen.” 

Chelsea and her mother, Lesa Durham.

They're now fighting for justice for Chelsea, pushing for a first-degree murder conviction for Tyler Mitchell.

"He took something so beautiful away from everyone," said Mathias. "He has to live with that guilt in itself, and that is what I want him to dwell on."

Chelsea’s mother says she will be in court every single day that Mitchell makes an appearance.

She plans to bring a picture of her daughter to display in the courtroom so no one forgets the mother, daughter, and friend whose life has been lost.

While a conviction is the only way her mother says she'll ever find closure from this tragedy, she does find peace knowing her daughter is in a better place.

“I see her in a beautiful place with lots of pink flowers that she loved," said Durham. "I can see her spinning in circles with her arms out, just laughing and happy.”

A GoFundMe has been set up to fundraise money for Chelsea's two sons. If you'd like to donate, you can click here.

Article Topic Follows: News
Colorado
crime
local news
Pueblo
Pueblo County
Pueblo Crime

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Mallory Anderson

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