Woman’s heartbreaking plea for help before murder: 'My last straw'

A woman made a desperate plea for help, weeks before she was found murdered on the street.

On September 24, Kelsey Dillon was found dead the day before her 31st birthday, near a highway in Ventura, in California.

No further details have been shared about Ms Dillon's death, but the police have said it was a homicide, according to local media.

Following the news of Ms Dillon's death, a GoFundMe she set up to help her out financially has been shared.

The fundraiser offers some devastating details about her life, though no money was raised before her death.

In the video shared to the GoFundMe, Ms Dillon said she had been living on the streets for six months and was living in a vehicle for about two years before that.

"Honestly, I was pretty happy in my car because nobody bothered me, but my car was totalled and now I have nowhere to sleep," she said.

The video was uploaded on July 1, and Ms Dillon goes on to say just days before she made the video, she was "pretty brutally raped" before being left on the side of the road.

"I think that's my last straw, I would like to be off the streets and [be] anywhere safe," she said.

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Woman had been raising money to buy a van

Ms Dillon was raising money to help purchase a van, expressing her desire to travel.

"I want to tour the world and see everything, living out of an RV van is my dream, honestly, because I have somewhere safe to be and a bed to sleep at night and I can go see everything," she said.

"I don't need to be stationary right now."

Ms Dillon goes on to say her life has been "pretty tragic and kind of crazy", but didn't give much further detail, other than saying she was a massage therapist for ten years and had over 30 surgeries.

She said the fundraiser had nothing to do with her not wanting to work.

"But, if you're interested in helping someone get off the streets and genuinely turn their life around, I could really use some help," Ms Dillon said, adding she doesn't even know if she has a penny to her name.

According to the Ventura County Star, 44 per cent of homeless women in Los Angeles experience were a victim of a crime and 27 per cent had been sexually assaulted.

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.

If you are experiencing homelessness, you can get help through Red Cross Australia or Mission Australia.

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