(LEX 18) — Six months after she was killed, Amber Spradlin's family is spending their first Christmas without her.
Her cousin, Dr. Debbie Hall, said Spradlin loved Christmas and always made a family favorite for the holidays.
"She had a little tradition and made homemade beer cheese," Hall said. "It was a recipe that my mom had and they passed it down to her."
But it's been hard for Spradlin's family to celebrate this holiday season.
"I didn't even put up a Christmas tree this year," Hall said. "It's the first year ever I've never had one, but I just couldn't couldn't bear the thought."
Spradlin was fatally stabbed 11 times in the head, neck, and face in the early morning hours of June 18. She was found dead in Floyd County at the home of a prominent dentist after hanging out there with people she knew, according to her family.
There have been no arrests, but Hall said the case continues moving forward.
"They're six months into now and they've processed a lot of evidence they've had," Hall said. "There's still a lot more to go but it's looking promising."
For now, it's hard for the family to know that whoever killed Spradlin is still free, Hall said.
"We've got a lot of anger just because of this," Hall said. "They took her life and they shouldn't be able to spend Christmas with their families, but they are."
Hall says she believes some people know what happened and hopes they'll come forward to give the family some closure.
This year, Hall says her family will still gather on Christmas. They've even invited some of Spradlin's friends to celebrate with them.
"She was the baby of our family and this is our first Christmas without her," Hall said. "Everything that we did we really did it for her."
