(Editor's note: this story was corrected on 09/15/2005. The victim's father was misidentified as Brian Thompson. The man's first name is Bill.)
Police have identified the woman found dead at a Tempe apartment complex last week and are asking for the public's help to find her killer.
Georgia Thompson, 19, lived alone at the Saddle Club apartments, 3730 S. Mill Ave., according to a Tempe Police press release.
Investigators believe she had only been in Arizona six to eight weeks when she was found lying in a pool of blood early Thursday morning in a parking lot not far from her first-floor apartment.
Police said Thompson had recently moved from Idaho and had worked at Hooters in downtown Tempe. She was not an ASU student.
Bill Thompson, the victim's father, said she was a lovely, popular girl who was home-schooled until the ninth grade. He said she wanted to move to Tempe because of the opportunities available in a big city.
"She was the sparkplug of our family," he said. "She was always ready for a game, or to go somewhere, see a movie or get a pizza. She was always ready."
Hooters General Manager Dave Peterson said Thompson stopped showing up to work in early August, but the news still saddened employees.
"Everyone here knows of her, and that's what made it real scary," Peterson said. "A lot of these girls and employees live in this neighborhood too."
Masters said Thompson sustained a fatal injury to her head and still had personal property in her possession when found, so police do not suspect robbery to be a motive.
Thompson had worked at an adult-entertainment club in Scottsdale on the night of her death and was last seen alive when a coworker dropped her off at Acme Roadhouse in Tempe at approximately 12:10 a.m., Masters said.
Thompson had reportedly parked her car there earlier in the evening.
Her body was found near her car in the apartment complex's parking lot.
"It looked like she had just parked her car in a parking space and was walking toward her apartment [when] she was murdered," Masters said.
Tempe Police are seeking information from anyone who knew Thompson. Callers can remain anonymous.
State Press reporter Tara Brite contributed to this story. Reach the reporter at brian.indrelunas@asu.edu.
