She was looking for a domestic violence shelter to stay in when she went missing. Unfortunately, she couldn't get free from the clutches of her ruthless husband.
Trigger warning: Contains details of domestic violence and violence that might be distressing to some readers.
The friends and family of a 34-year-old Ohio mom, Amber Eichner, filled Veteran’s Memorial Park in Genoa, Ohio, recently to remember her. They conducted a candlelight vigil for the murdered mom-of-four-girls and swapped stories about her. "It actually makes me glad there’s a lot of people here but at the same time it makes me sad that’s she’s gone," said Amber’s niece Jersiee Wood, reports 13 ABC.
Amber had gone missing on April 14 without her daughters and her family was immediately concerned. "Family means too much to her for her to do something like this," her sister, Brittany Stiles, told WTOL 11. "So we feel like she's in danger," she added. The 34-year-old mom was, indeed, in danger, and from someone she used to know very closely.
She was looking for a domestic violence shelter to stay in when she went missing, her cousin, Amanda Kimbrell, told NBC 24. Unfortunately, she couldn't get free from the clutches of her ruthless husband.
Family wants answers. Amber Eichner, 34 year old mom of 4 from Genoa has been missing since April 14. Her cell phone last pinged off a tower in Cleveland, Tennessee on April 23.
— Michael Tatar (@MichaelTatarTV) April 27, 2021
Amber’s cousin, Erica, believes her husband has something to do with her disappearance @WTOL11Toledo pic.twitter.com/LSLAsXMs7t
Her estranged husband, John Eichner, was arrested on April 27, 2021, by the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office. The arrest took place after a body was found buried in the backyard of a home in Toledo, which the authorities believe are the remains of Amber, as per People. John has been charged with murder and tampering with evidence in connection, and four misdemeanor charges of endangering children.
"With her being a victim of domestic violence, and she has been for a very long time," Amanda told NBC24, "we fought really hard to help support her to get away and the only thing I could say is she finally got the kids away from him. It wasn't the way we wanted but she's finally free."
After Amber went missing on April 14, her estranged husband dropped off his four daughters at a relative's house in Tennessee on April 21, say police, WTOL11 reports. Amber had full custody of her children, so this was suspicious activity on John's part. Her phone had pinged off of a tower in Tennessee at 1:45 p.m. It had also pinged off another tower in Tennessee west of that location at 3:30 p.m., say police, according to People.
There was a report against John the same day saying that he had gone missing and had "abandoned" his four children in Tennessee, according to a statement from Ottawa County Prosecuting Attorney James Vaneerten.
"During the course of the investigation, police received a tip from a friend of John Eichner that John had recently requested and been granted permission to bury his deceased dog on the friend's property," said the prosecuting attorney in the statement. The police dug up the yard to find human remains. "Although the body has not yet been positively identified through DNA analysis, it is believed to be the body of Amber Eichner," he added.
An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was strangulation.
"She took care of her girls, she really did," said Amber's cousin Ericka Seymour. "She has four girls and they miss her like crazy," she added. Ericka and Britanny revealed that Amber had planned to leave her husband in April. "Her and the girls were planning to move back down to Tennessee to live with my cousin 'til she could get back on her feet when she got there," said Britanny, adding, "But my sister never made it."
References:
https://www.13abc.com/2021/05/02/loved-ones-remember-amber-eichner/
https://people.com/crime/amber-eichner-missing-ohio-mom-found-dead-husband-charged/
Cover image source: Screenshot - YouTube/WTOL
