Williams family endures pain of tragedy, joy of birth within minutes

It is mostly unheard of for a family to experience the pain of a tragedy and the joy of birth merely minutes apart, but that happened to the Williams family on Wednesday.

The body of 35-year-old Stacie Williams was discovered at the intersection of 25th Street and Madison in Granite City and it was determined she had suffered a shot to the head. Only a few hours later, Josh Williams and Jocelynn Gallup, had a baby boy, Roman.

Granite City police and paramedics responded to a 911 call regarding a female slumped at the wheel of a running car sitting in a vacant lot at 25th St. and Madison around 5:33 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18. The female, identified as Stacie Williams, was deceased. Following an autopsy, the preliminary cause of death appears to be a single gunshot to the head. Cory L. Osborne, 31, was charged today with two counts of first-degree murder.

Lindsey and her mother first received a call on Wednesday from her nieces that something bad had happened to their mom, Stacie.

Lindsey Williams and her mother, Laurie, were called to go to the Granite City Police Station shortly after Stacie’s body was discovered. Lindsey and Laurie still had not been able to see the newborn baby as of Friday morning because they had devoted their time to Stacie’s situation and her girls.

“She lived on Edison and was found at 25th and Madison,” Lindsey said. “The police station was right by there. We drove by Stacie’s house on the way there and Stacie’s street was blocked off and there was police activity around her car where police found her. Police had picked up the kids and they told all of us together what had happened to their mom.”

Lindsey told Riverbender.com, it was “unreal,” that they had lost a sister and Josh had added a newborn only minutes apart. Rather than the family experiencing the beauty of the newborn, they have grieved the loss of their devoted sister.

Lindsey said she was “really close” to her sister, Stacie. She said her sister had one big goal for her life – to make life better for her children. Lindsey described Stacie as “an awesome person."

“She lived in Alton Acres and drove to Red Bud every day to finish her nursing education,” Lindsey said. “She just wanted better for those girls. She was always either working or spending time with her children.”

Stacie left behind three girls – Aylexus, 16, Taylor, 15, and Ariell, 11.

“She was always there for everybody,” Lindsey said of her deceased sister. “She did everything for those kids. We were all really close. We didn’t tell Josh what happened until after their baby was born. He kept texting and asking about it, but we waited to tell him until after Roman was born.”

Lindsey, Laurie and Josh and other family members are working together to figure out the future for the three girls, but one thing is certain, Lindsey said, they will be taking care of them.

A Go Fund Me site is available to try to help the children at http://www.gofundme.com/mry6z8?fb_post=1#_=_

Paynic Home for Funerals in Rosewood Heights is handling the arrangements for Williams.

Lindsey said nursing meant the world to Stacie, mainly because she was always helping people.

“She became a CNA and then a LPN,” Stacie said. “When I needed to talk she was always there. She was always there for anybody who needed her.”