Friends and family demand answers, #JusticeForHoney - FOX 35 News Orlando

The murder of an 18-year-old Stone Mountain woman has sparked an outcry for justice on her behalf by her family and friends.  Vanessa "Honey" Malone was killed on October 23 when police say she walked in on an armed robbery in DeKalb County.  While her killer is still on the loose, Malone's story has gone viral.    

According to a DeKalb County police report obtained by FOX 5 on Monday, Malone walked in on an armed robbery at the Hampton Village Apartments on Tree Mountain Parkway in Stone Mountain around 10 p.m. last Tuesday. 

PHOTOS: VANESSA "HONEY" MALONE - #JusticeForHoney

The police report says officers were called to the scene by Travares Benford and his girlfriend, India Smith, who said they were in a bedroom when they heard a loud noise at the front door.  The report says the two told officers they saw a group of between three and six black men come into the apartment with guns, and they were told to get on the ground.   Benford told officers the suspects took his wallet, and tied both he and Smith up before forcing them to lie down in the bathroom.  

Benford told police he heard the suspects going through the apartment, and then heard several shots fired.  Smith told officers that Malone had come into the back of the apartment after the suspects came inside.  Smith reported hearing Malone scream and start to run before hearing several gunshots.  Smith also told officers she heard the suspects bring Malone back inside the apartment after she had been shot.  

The police report says Benford and Smith told officers they were afraid to come out of the bathroom after hearing the gunshots, so they stayed there for 15-20 minutes before untying themselves and calling for help on Benford's cell phone.

When officers arrived at the apartment, the police report says Benford and Smith told them their friend had been shot.  Malone was found unconscious and not breathing inside the apartment, and she had suffered several gunshot wounds.  The police report says she was pronounced dead at the scene.  

The police report notes damage to the front door as well as the deadbolt lock.  It also says that both Benford and Smith told officers there was a fourth victim known by the name of "Mercy" who fled the scene on foot before police arrived.  No other details were given about a possible fourth victim, and police have not released any other details about the suspects.

Police told FOX 5's Julia Reynolds on Monday that the robbery is believed to have been drug-related, and that Malone did not live at the apartment where she was killed.   They said no arrests have been made in connection to Malone's murder.

Reynolds spoke with Malone's brother and sister before her funeral, which was held Monday afternoon in DeKalb County.  They said they are asking anyone who has any information about her murder to come forward as soon as possible.  They say they will not stop until they find the person who killed their sister, who is affectionately known as "Honey" by her friends and family.

Friends attending Malone's funeral on Monday told FOX 5 she was taken too soon, and her death was simply a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Her family declined to comment on who she had gone to the apartment to visit, instead telling FOX 5 they wanted to focus on the search for her killer.  

Malone's family tells FOX 5 that her friends are behind a Facebook page dedicated to her memory.  The page is titled R.I.P. Honey, and was started on October 26.  As of Monday afternoon, it had more than 89,700 likes.  Supporters have also created a hashtag, #JusticeForHoney, which has been used on Twitter to spread the word about her murder.

Anyone with information about Malone's murder is asked to call the DeKalb County Police Department immediately.

LINK: R.I.P. Honey Facebook Page | #JusticeForHoney on Twitter