When Marie Colburn of Pontiac was murdered, her body was found in her closet by her own parents of all people.
"She's gone," her distraught father told 7 Action News in an interview.
Her dad still cant believe it. Her parents find it harder to believe the man now charged in her murder - Kevin Wiley - was out on parole.
The system they say, "Its just not working."
Wiley, who was dating Colburn, failed to report to his parole officer days before the murder.
He allegedly tampered with his tether and fled after the crime, before his recent capture. He has a long rap sheet, including a previous charge for murder. But the state didn't keep him locked up.
"Here is a guy, who took a life and is in prison for less than four years," said Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard.
The Sheriff stood with Colburn's parents today, calling out a Department of Corrections, which he says is working off broken policies - policies legislated by elected officials.
Prosecutors tells 7 Action News that 80 percent of those in prison are there for violent crimes. Too often state laws push for early release - something the sheriff told us often costs society more than any budgetary savings.
Cindy Simmons, the victim's mother, see's a call for action in the face of personal tragedy.
"It matters to us and it should matter to everybody. She's not just a number on a piece of paper, she was everything we had," she said. "She should be here with us. She deserved her life."
