According to her friends, the pharmacist who was discovered dead in a hotel room in Fiji while on her honeymoon had been “excited to get married and have babies.”
Prior to his alleged murder, Christe Chen Dawson, 39, of Memphis had been looking forward to spending the rest of her life with Bradley Robert Dawson, 38.
Her shocked friends expressed their horror at her passing to DailyMail.com, adding they had just seen her beam with joy at her wedding in February.
They claimed that the two had bonded over their shared passion of long-distance running and that they had both been ardent Chicago Cubs baseball fans.
On July 9, Christe was discovered dead in her hotel room while visiting the Yasawa Islands for her honeymoon.
Her husband Bradley has been accused of murder, albeit it is unclear how she died.
Her friend Rena Schomburg said: ‘I am in shock. I just texted all my friends and my husband telling them I hope it’s not real but my husband told me it is real.’
She claimed that she first met Christe in 2015 while the two of them were organising a friend’s bachelorette celebration.
They had a love of sweets, the Chicago Cubs, and both were native Chicagoans.
She claimed that Christe was an accomplished baker who had operated a bakery. She always enjoyed seeing Christe and treated her to her favourite chocolates.
Schomburg claimed that following their common friend’s 2016 Florida wedding, the two grew closer. Christe was a bridesmaid, and Schomburg served as the maid of honour.
Life became hectic for Christe once she relocated to Tennessee to enrol in the University of Tennessee’s pharmacy programme.
She claimed that when she learned that Christe was getting married, she was overjoyed.
She stated that she had plans to attend, but a few weeks later a note arrived announcing the wedding’s cancellation.
While speaking with DailyMail.com, Schomburg was perusing old photographs of the two of them at a happier period and expressed her sadness, “It’s so sad.”
Schomberg, an only child, claimed that Christe used to accompany her mother on these luxurious vacations and share her photos on social media.
‘She was so excited to get married and to have babies.’
Apparently, Schomburg had never met the husband. She claimed that Christe started running marathons and that perhaps that is how she might have met him.
She described her friend as ‘super-sweet, kind, would do anything for anybody, outgoing, generous, and so fun’.
She added: ‘She didn’t have a bad bone in her body.’
According to the Fiji Sun, Bradley was charged with one count of murder in Christe’s death on July 9.
Chen reportedly told a neighbour before the alleged murder that she was looking forward to her honeymoon in paradise.
The news source stated that Chen’s body was eventually discovered inside a hotel room at the resort where the couple was staying.
Although the exact resort where the murder occurred is unknown, rumours indicate that it either occurred on the island of Mamanucas or the Yasawa Islands.
Until authorities caught up with him and took him into prison, Dawson was ‘nowhere to be found’ on the isolated island, which is renowned for its gorgeous beaches, crystal-clear waters, palm trees, rich flora, and lonely environment.
When the police prosecutor asked Dawson to provide his DNA for forensic testing, Dawson declined.
Later, the Magistrate Sekonaia Vodokisolomone at the Magistrates Court in Lautoka received a request for a court order, according to the Fiji Sun.
A team has been dispatched to the island in the interim to investigate into the suspected murder, according to FBC News.
At the Lautoka Magistrates Court on Monday, Dawson appeared before Magistrate Sekonaia Vodokisolomone.
According to the Fiji Sun, Magistrate Vodokisolomone informed the court that Dawson had committed an indictable offence and the case will be sent to the High Court in Lautoka.
The magistrate ruled that Dawson would need to apply for bail in the High Court.
Dawson first refused when Inspector Arvind Kumar asked him to produce a DNA sample, so Kumar sought the court’s permission to do so.
Vodokisolomone advised submitting the request through the High Court.
Iqbal Khan, Dawson’s lawyer, told FOX13 Memphis that while he was unable to confirm Chen’s cause of death, his client maintains his innocence.
According to the news source, Khan stated that he is seeking to secure a bond for his client, who is scheduled to return to court on July 27.
At Kroger, Chen Dawson was a pharmacist. Her husband worked for Youth Villages, a charity that aids children, as an IT specialist.
According to the charity, Dawson has been put on hold while they gather more data.
‘It is our understanding Ms. Chen was his wife, and our condolences go out to her family,’ Youth Villages said in a statement to FOX13.
On Elzey Avenue in Memphis’ Cooper-Young neighbourhood, the couple shared a brand-new house.
A neighbour claimed Chen was thrilled and looking forward to their honeymoon on the island of Fiji days before it began, according to Fox13 News.
Chen Dawson appears in pictures posted on the victim’s Facebook page, grinning and carefree. Her pets appear in a lot of the pictures. A few of the pictures feature her acting in a play, posing with a girlfriend, or enjoying some cotton candy.
Others depict her relaxing on a beach or taking in the scenery after a hike.
One of the pictures captures the victim’s playful side as she smiles for the camera while donning a cow costume with her udders protruding.