DAVENPORT, Iowa – A daughter says she’s living a nightmare as she uncovers the timeline of her mother’s death.
Jordan Burroughs was found dead in the garage of her Moline home on Nov. 21, after police say she was murdered by her boyfriend, Kyle Dykeman. Her daughter, Jayda Murphy, says she went to the home and talked with Dykeman weeks after her death – not knowing what he had already done.
Murphy says she hadn’t heard from her mom in a month. She didn’t know she had been stabbed to death by Dykeman who Murphy says had been abusive to her mother in the past.
“They kind of kept it on the down low because they were going through some legal stuff with their kids and they didn’t want to lose their kids,” Murphy explains. “After his (Dykeman’s) mom passed away (two months ago), he would drink a lot and he would get a lot meaner when he would drink.”
Murphy says she didn’t realize right away that her mom was out of touch.
“We took time with it because maybe my mom, maybe she was in Des Moines and if we made a missing person thing she would be like “what the heck guys?” says Murphy.
Murphy says she knew something was wrong when she went to the house a few weeks after not knowing her mom’s body was in the garage.
“He had bought like all new rugs, like area rugs, around the house,” Murphy remembers. “And I was like “oh, new rugs?”; you know- weird, and he was doing that to cover stuff up.”
Murphy is 18 years old and planned her mother’s funeral with some help from friends. She says she’s out a couple thousand dollars.
“I’m trying to be strong for my family and my little brother,” she says. “He’s confused, he doesn’t know what is going on – you know? This was like a big thing. He only had her in his life for six years.”
Davenport Police were closing in on Dykeman on Nov. 21, ready to arrest him for Jordan Burrough’s murder. Instead, officers say they found him dead inside a Davenport hotel room after committing suicide.
Murphy says she wish he hadn’t taken his life because she wants to know why he did what he did. But she says it does mean she doesn’t have to go trial or look at crime scene footage or pictures.
Jayda Murphy set up a GoFundMe for the family to collect donations for future arrangements and legal expenses.