Advertisement

'Absolutely Foul Play': Mom of Influencer Found Dead Along Tx. Roadside Believes She Was Murdered

alexis sharkey/instagram Alexis Sharkey

The mother of an Instagram influencer who was found dead along the side of a Texas road Saturday morning is speaking out about her daughter's death, saying foul play must've been involved.

"We are completely wrecked," Alexis Sharkey's grieving mother, Stacey Robinault, told KPRC-TV. "The family is just so devastated — her cousins, her sisters, her 13-year-old sister. It's just so difficult."

Sharkey, 26, was last heard from on Friday, according to Houston police.

Sharkey's nude body was found on Saturday, off the side of a road in Houston, just a few miles from her home, police said.

A garbage truck driver made the gruesome discovery.

At this time, it is unclear how Sharkey died, but detectives continue to investigate.

alexis sharkey/instagram Alexis Sharkey

"The way in which she was found — my child would never do that to herself," Robinault told KPRC. "That doesn't even make sense. That is absolutely foul play. There is nothing to me that suggests that this was an accident. And there's nothing to me that suggests anything else, other than that this was done to her."

Robinault said "my mother's gut" tells her it was murder.

RELATED: Missing Instagram Influencer Alexis Sharkey's Nude Body Found on the Side of the Road in Houston

Her friends also believe she was killed. In an interview with KTRK-TV, a friend said Sharkey had said on a trip in October that she feared for her safety.

"She confided in me that night ... she's petrified," an unnamed friend told KTRK. "This girl is scared for her life."

Friends and relatives began worrying about the social media star Saturday, after she stopped responding to calls and messages.

Sharkey's husband called Robinault on Saturday to report her missing.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Sharkey, the oldest of three sisters, grew up in northwestern Pennsylvania, graduated college with a biology degree and planned to apply to medical school.

Robinault said her daughter took a year off, and in that time, her life took a different path as her Instagram following skyrocketed.

"She loved what she did," Robinault told the station.

A GoFundMe campaign has been established to raise money for Alexis' memorial. As of Monday evening, $18,606 has been raised toward the campaign's $15,000 goal.