AUSTIN -- The parents of a 34-year old Cedar Park woman found dead in an Austin dumpster talked Friday to clear the air about their daughter’s life.
“She was a great person. She was well loved. She had lots of friends and she had a good home life,” said Bob Harvey about his daughter Stephanie Harvey.
On Thursday, Austin police homicide detectives arrested 30-year old James Grady for Harvey’s murder.
Grady told police he hired Harvey as a prostitute and claimed that she stole some of his property including jewelry.
“No matter what she did, to get the drugs or whatever she might have done, I don't think justified what happened to her and the way the person handled her,” added Bob.
Stephanie Harvey grew up in a military family which travelled the world and graduated from both Leander High School and Austin Community College. She also worked a few years ago at 3M.
Her parents say that ten years ago, a boyfriend introduced Stephanie to the highly-addictive drug crack cocaine.
“If you get addicted to crack cocaine it's almost impossible to get off of," said Harvey. "She tried. She went to rehab and she would stay off of it for periods of time then she'd have to go back on it. Not everybody that has a drug problem comes from a bad neighborhood or a bad home. She had a great home life.”
“It's a dangerous lifestyle to get into. You can hurt yourself either by overdosing or someone else can hurt you,” warned Stephanie’s mom, Beth.
Stephanie Harvey’s funeral is Monday.
