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‘She Is Resting In Heaven’: Minnesota Mom Killed By Son After She Begged Him To ‘Turn His Life Around’
"There are no words to describe the pain and confusion we're facing," a GoFundMe page for 56-year-old Receia Kollie stated.
A man accused of “brutally” killing his own mother in their family’s Minnesota home was arrested at a North Dakota laundromat, according to police and the woman’s family.
On Dec. 1, Receia Kollie, 56, was found dead at her Moorhead house after officers conducted a welfare check, the Moorhead Police Department said. She died from multiple sharp force injuries. In the immediate aftermath of the apparent murder, police sought to speak with her 25-year-old son James Diawo Kollie Jr., who was identified as a suspect in the slaying.
Detectives also learned that Receia Kollie’s 2016 black Honda Pilot was missing from her home.
James Kollie Jr. was located and taken into police custody the following day at a laundromat in Wahpeton, North Dakota — about 45 miles south of Moorhead.
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“How the suspect arrived at the Maytag Home Laundry mat in Wahpeton is still unknown,” the Moorhead Police Department said in a statement Wednesday.
Receia Kollie’s Honda was later located near a hardware store in Wahpeton, about three miles south of the laundromat, Moorhead Police announced. Authorities are now working to transport the vehicle to Minnesota to be processed and searched. It’s currently unclear what items of evidentiary value may be located inside.
Prior to James Kollie’s arrest, police had issued multiple social media bulletins requesting the public’s assistance in locating Kollie and his mother’s Honda. Authorities are now asking local residents to keep an eye open for any “suspicious items” James Kollie may have discarded in the Wahpeton area prior to his apprehension. They’ve also asked homeowners to look through any home surveillance that may have recorded James Kollie before his arrest.
A motive in Receia Kollie’s killing hasn’t yet been released by law enforcement.
Receia Kollie’s family, however, who are reeling from the Minnesota woman’s abrupt death, described James Kollie Jr. as a “deeply troubled” young man on a GoFundMe fundraiser to help cover funeral expenses. Family members also outlined the late mom's “never-ending efforts” to help her son.
“Receia's never-ending efforts to encourage him to turn his life around and seek help, unfortunately, resulted in her death,” the slain woman’s daughter, Recemeia Kollie, wrote on the fundraising page. “There are no words to describe the pain and confusion we're facing.”
The family didn’t divulge specifically what James Kollie may have been suffering from.
Receia Kollie was born in Movrovia, Liberia, according to her GoFundMe page. She fled Liberia with the future father of her son, her high school sweetheart James Kollie, after the civil war engulfed the West African nation. The two married in 1991. They relocated to the Ivory Coast before moving to Covington, Georgia in 2001. She was a mother of three.
Her family described her as a deeply spiritual, loving mother and a “steadfast friend to many,” who was the “pillar” of her family.
"The only thing that gives us peace is knowing that she is resting in heaven," the fundraising page added.
James Kollie Jr. is being held at a Richland County jail, according to online jail records obtained by Oxygen.com. If convicted, he faces a maximum punishment of 40 years in prison. It’s unclear if he’s retained legal counsel to comment on his behalf.
