Egypt Covington was well-known and liked in her home town.
An account manager for a distribution company, the 27-year-old was also a popular local singer.
She'd won a Country Idol music competition and people recognised her stunning smile wherever she went.
It wasn't just her professional life that was soaring, either.
Having made it official with her on-off boyfriend Curtis Meadows, her love life was in full bloom too.
And in the early summer of 2017, the pair decided they'd live together.
They agreed that Curtis would move into Egypt's flat, which she currently shared with