52-Year-Old Mother Of Six Brutally Murdered While Jogging In Samaria Forest

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Esther Horgan, a 52-year-old mother of six children from the Samarian community of Tal Menashe, was brutally murdered in cold blood in a forest near her home where she went jogging. Horgan went for a run on Sunday afternoon and when she did not return until the evening, a search was made in the area around the community. At approximately 1 AM Horgan’s body was found, after she had apparently been killed by a large stone.

Horgan, a family therapist, mother and grandmother, had lived in the community for over 20 years. Friends and neighbors described her as a warm woman involved in restoring harmony in families and rebuilding relationships as well as an artist and athlete.

Yossi Dagan, Shomron regional council head, said that “this is one of the most shocking murder cases I have seen in all of my life”, adding that “there is a direct link between a soldier not responding to a Molotov cocktail [as happened recently] and a terrorist seeing a woman doing sports near her community and permitting himself to commit murder.”

Dagan said that the murder is reminiscent of barbarity practiced in the Middle ages:

“I wish to say that it should be clear to the foul murderers from the Palestinian Authority, you will not break us. We will never break. You have chosen death and endless evil and we have chosen life,” Dagan added.

“The body was found very close to the family’s home in Tal Menashe. The forest were Horgan ran is not a secluded place, it is also adjacent to the town of Charish and many people do sports there. This place specifically was her regular route and that of many others in the area.”

Dagan concluded by attacking the state of Israel, accusing it of lacking deterrents to prevent terrorism: “This is the main problem. We have a government with superb capabilities but there is no deterrent. The government must take stock, hit terrorism and build the land of Israel.”

תיעוד אחרון של הנרצחת אסתר הורגן ז"לhttps://t.co/720fIRA6h4 pic.twitter.com/ZOkTSmjEUf

— Itamar Cohen (@ItamarC36002781) December 21, 2020

Clip from surveillance camera shows Esther Horgan starting her final run on Sunday afternoon

The tiny community of 150 families was rocked by the grisly murder. The region has been quiet in recent years and people felt a sense of security, taking hikes and runs in the nearby forests, despite the proximity to Arab villages nearby. The community, established more than 30 years ago, is less than a kilometer from the pre-1967 border and is close to the neighboring communities of Shaked and Henanit.

Esther Horgan is survived by her husband, four sons, two daughters and grandchildren. May G-d avenge her blood.