Hope that their loved one would be found alive was dashed Tuesday when family members of 30-year-old Ebony Jackson-Shelton learned from police that her body was found inside the trunk of her car.

Police found Jackson-Shelton's white 2004 Mitsubishi Gallant in the 4400 block of Elmbank Avenue in north St. Louis. They found her body after searching the car.

Family friend Linda Lawson said the family is in disbelief.

"It's beyond words. There is now a mother that does not have her child, her only child and there's a child who was born three months ago and now doesn't have a mother," she said. "It's unimaginable. We are pleading to the public to call in anonymous tips to get the soulless person or persons off the street before you're burying your loved ones."

Jackson-Shelton's 3-month old son, Donovan Prom, was found unharmed in a car seat at an apartment complex in Breckenridge Hills, Mo., at 5 a.m. Friday. Police have been searching for the infant's mother since the infant was discovered.

Jackson-Shelton's aunt, Felisa Wilkins, cried after hearing the news.

"We felt like she was in danger because she would never have left her baby like that. We kept telling the police that and they kept asking us how did we know that," she said.

Ebony Jackson-Shelton is an only child to Stella Jackson, who lives in Colorado. She was in the area to show off her baby boy. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor when she was 16 and underwent several surgeries.

"Of all of the things she could have died from, she fought to keep her life and to bring a life into the world and somebody had to take hers," her cousin, Tondra Mosley, said.

The child remains in custody of Division of Children and Family Services, and could be there for two weeks until results of a paternity test are confirmed. The child's father drove to St. Louis after hearing the news, but it is unknown if he is still in the area.

Those with information about the case should call the Breckenridge Hills Police Department at 314-426-1214, St. Louis Metropolitan police or the anonymous tip line CrimeStoppers at 1-866-371-8477.

"I am very angry. Whoever did it is sick. Nobody in their right mind could do anything like this. Who puts somebody in the trunk of their car?" Wilkins said.