MURRELLS INLET, SC (WBTW) – It’s been a little over a month since Perry’s Bait and Tackle owner Jessica Hill was found dead after a fire broke out at her shop. Community members gathered at the shop in Murrells Inlet to raise money for her children.
Smokin’ Sumthin’ BBQ hosted the lunch fundraiser on Saturday. Several local artists also donated pieces for a silent auction. Hill left behind three children. They are 11, 8 and 7 years old. All they money raised will go into an account for them. “They’re doing ok. It’s hard,” said Jessica’s mother Sharon Doehner. “They still miss their mother. We all miss her. She had such an infectious smile and such a warm personality.”
Hill’s ex-husband Eric Perry was charged with murder and arson in connection to her death and the fire. Doehner said Jessica would have turned 37 years old on Monday. She said the holidays won’t be the same this year. “This will be the first time we won’t have her famous bowl of shrimp that she always used to make,” Doehner said. “You feel like there’s a whole in your heart because she’s not going to be here. But we do plan to set a place setting for her at the table.”