Family and friends of a missing 27-year-old woman found dead at a Nashville trash site have been begging for anyone to come forward.
The body of Ashley Brown was found at a disposal site before Christmas after she was reported missing four days earlier.
Officials with the Metro Nashville Police Department said Ashley was with her friends during the early morning hours of December 17 when she stepped outside but never returned.
Investigators believed her body was in a dumpster near the apartment.
"Someone knows something. Someone knows how she ended up in the trash," Julie Brown, Ashley's mother, told NewsChannel 5.
Julie and several other family members and co-workers gathered at Centennial Park on Wednesday for a Celebration of Life memorial service.
They shared memories and displayed pictures of Ashley before moving to a nearby coffee shop for a slideshow presentation.
"She had a vibrant spirit. She wanted to make the world a better place," added Julie.
Ashley moved to Nashville a few months ago to continue her career as a Certified Scrub Technician. She was originally from Tucson, Arizona and traveled everywhere for her profession.
Her body was discovered just one day before her 28th birthday.
"I just want to know what happened to her," Julie said. "Someone threw her away like she was some garbage. She was not trash. She was always a ray of sunshine in a land of darkness."
Police have not determined if her death was murder, and preliminary autopsy results were inconclusive. Julie suggested something terrible happened to her daughter prior to her death and has begged for anyone to call police.
"Something bad happened to my child, and I can't even imagine what the last few minutes of her life were like," Julie said.
Police have asked if anyone saw Ashley after 4:30 a.m. on December 17, call 615-862-7329.
