Laken Riley's mother gives first comment since daughter's murder, thanks Jesus for guiding her through 'worst nightmare'

The mother of Laken Hope Riley delivered her first public comments since the tragic death of her 22-year-old daughter.

The funeral for Riley was held on Friday at the Woodstock City Church in Woodstock, Georgia.

Lead Pastor Samer Massad recalled how Riley was a "gift to anyone who knew her."

"Laken was special. She was a gift to anyone who knew her,” Massad told the mourners, according to WXIA-TV.

"She had a gift for making anyone she was around feel comfortable and seen,” the pastor continued. "But the most special thing about Laken was her faith in Jesus. She didn’t just believe it, she lived it. And because of her faith, as hard as days like today are, we grieve her loss and celebrate her life with the hope that she is now in the presence of Jesus, her Savior. We will miss her dearly.”

Riley's mother, Allyson Phillips, shared her first public comment about her daughter's death on Saturday.

"As I sat down to write this message, I really just have no words," Phillips wrote in a Facebook post. "My family has faced the most devastating, unimaginable loss that anyone could ever be force to endure."

Phillips highlighted her faith in enduring the heartbreaking tragedy.

"I would like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for being with me and my family during this heartbreaking time," the distraught mother explained. "I encourage everyone to have a personal relationship with Jesus. I give Him all the glory for getting us through this. It would be really easy to lose our faith in mankind because of this senseless and avoidable tragedy."

Phillips thanked those for their "overwhelming" support during this "horrific nightmare."

"Please know that every act of kindness has warmed our hearts and brought us joy during our worst nightmare," she continued. "We appreciate all of the time, effort and prayers that our family, friends and community have showered us with to help ease our pain. We love you all and hope that you feel from the bottom of our hearts how much every single thing that has been done for us has meant. I love you all. Please continue to pray for our family as we put one foot in front of the other moving forward."

The family of the slain woman launched the Laken Riley Memorial fundraiser on GoFundMe.

The crowdfunding campaign initially had a goal of raising $35,000 to "assist the family with funeral expenses, establish a scholarship in her name, raise homicide awareness, or any other opportunity the family could use it for during this difficult time."

An update on the crowdfunding page noted, "On behalf of our entire family we would like send out a heartfelt thank you for your donations and overwhelming support."

"She will be missed every day, but we promise to honor her life moving forward in a very big way," the update read. "Every single dollar donated will go towards starting the Laken Hope Riley Foundation and will be used to drive homicide awareness and safety for women. Again, thank you for your kind support and we love you all!"

At the time of publication, the GoFundMe campaign had raised more than $230,000.

Funeral service held for Augusta University nursing student Laken Riley who was killed on UGA campuswww.youtube.com

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!