On the afternoon of Sunday, December 14, 2025, gunfire in the small community of Durant, Mississippi, left 35-year-old Jessica Parks dead. Neighbors near West Hayes Street reported hearing shots at about 3:45 p.m.; officers from the Durant Police Department found Parks at the scene with a fatal gunshot wound and she was later identified by Holmes County Coroner Dexter Howard.

Durant Police Chief Demarcus Friend led the investigation, which focused on a heated argument between Parks and another woman that reportedly escalated. In the hours after the shooting, a suspect named Jessica Dawson surrendered and was charged with manslaughter and tampering with evidence in connection with Parks’ death.

Funeral services for Parks were held at Deborah Mason Patterson Hall on Saturday, December 27, 2025, and she was buried at Ellis Cemetery. Does anyone in Durant have information about the events that afternoon or knew Jessica Parks?