MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — The hunt for the killer of a Montgomery County high school student continues.
The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) said the body of 17-year-old Jailyn Jones was found on January 24 behind a small community of homes in Germantown.
A spokesperson for MCPD said there are no updates on the teen's death but investigators are working leads. Police said Jones' death is being investigated as a homicide.
A visitation was held for Jones Monday night in Frederick.
It's a tragic and sudden death for Alexis Jones McDaniel who said it has felt like hell for her and her family.
"We feel like all of the air has been sucked out of our bodies," McDaniel said. "We’re exhausted. On top of planning his funeral we’re trying to find who did this.”
RELATED: 'Took a piece of my soul' | Mom wants answers after teen son found dead in Montgomery County
Jones was a senior at Northwest High School. His mother said she believes bullying brewed at the school and made her son a target of a gang.
"I strongly do believe that bullying had something to do with it and in fact, I know that it did, and I know it probably could have been the thing that put him in harm's way because he was a protector," McDaniel said.“I think that he probably was set up and brought to that location. Jailyn’s a very smart kid so I think he was probably brought to that location. I don’t feel it was one person, it couldn’t have been.”
McDaniel is now pushing for answers in the form of a community town hall.
“I know that I’m not the only one shaken, I know I’m not the only one wondering why," McDaniel said. "Bullying specifically, gangs specifically, that we were not aware were here as parents. We need to have a town hall meeting. We need to talk.”
"Our children are off-limits. That’s the message that we’re sending. Our kids are off-limits. They should be safe when they go to school. They should be safe when they’re walking the streets," McDaniel said.