Amy E. Lord spent 47 minutes driving between five banks in Boston early Tuesday after being kidnapped in her South Boston neighborhood by at least one attacker, a kidnapping that ended with the woman being murdered and her body being dumped in the Stony Brook Reservation in Hyde Park, officials said.
Boston police said Lord was taken in her Jeep between 6 a.m. and 6:47 a.m. to banks at the following locations: East Boston Savings Bank, 501 Southampton St.; Metro Credit Union, 1071 Massachusetts Ave.; Bank of America, 555 Columbia Road; Sovereign Bank, 585 Columbia Road; and Citizens Bank, 217 Adams St.
“The victim and her vehicle were at those locations,’’ Superintendent-in-chief Daniel Linskey said this afternoon, asking anyone who might have seen her to contact police. “She was wearing very distinctive clothing.’’
The body of the 24-year-old Wilbraham native was found Tuesday afternoon by a man riding his bike through the Hyde Park reservation, according to Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, who said the hunt for Lord’s killer is ongoing.
“We need to find justice for Amy Lord,’’ Conley said. He appealed for the public to contact authorities with information about Lord. Lord’s kidnapping was captured by surveillance cameras and officials released images of her stepping out of her car to visit one of the ATMs.
Linskey said three women had been attacked in South Boston — including Lord — since Tuesday morning and that one man is under arrest for the two other attacks.
Edwin Alemany, 28, is facing charges of punching a woman at about 5 a.m. Tuesday and of attacking a woman on Gates Street around 12:11 a.m. Wednesday when he allegedly jumped out from behind and stabbed her. He was arrested at a Boston hospital when he sought treatment for injuries he suffered during the latter attack, Linskey said.
Earlier today, officials familiar with the investigation told the Globe that while she was being treated for her injuries, the Gates Street victim spotted Alemany at the same hospital and alerted police that he was the person who had attacked her.
Both Linskey and Conley stressed that the investigation into Lord’s death is ongoing, and that no one has been charged with her murder.
“We do not want to keep you in the dark, but need to maintain integrity of the case,’’ Conley said.
Law enforcement officials told the Globe today that police suspect that Alemany played a role in all three attacks.
The attack on Lord came after Alemany’s alleged attack on the first victim. Lord’s car was found burning on Logan Way around 8:30 a.m. She was reported missing at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
The investigation continues into the possible involvement of a second man.
Conley urged the public to be careful after the attacks.
“Based on what we know ... we want to implore the people of Boston, and especially South Boston, to keep their eyes open for strange and threatening behavior. I ask you to watch out for your friends and your neighbors and especially want to urge people not to enter an automobile or a confined area with any strangers,†he said.
Lord was a high school cheerleader and graduate of Bentley University who had moved to South Boston, friends said today.
She had been on her way to the gym early Tuesday morning, according to those who knew her. That was the last time she was seen.
Lord was living in an apartment on Dorchester Street.
Donald Lord, her grandfather, said he was devastated.
“If you had a daughter, you would want her to be like Amy,†he said. “She was everything you would want to your daughter to be.â€
Leah Cameron, Amy Lord’s former cheerleading coach at Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham, said, “She was this beautiful angel who came from a small town and went to the big city.’
Cameron described Lord, who graduated from the school in 2007, as a vibrant young woman who excelled as a dancer on a squad that won the Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators’ Association Regional Championship two years in a row.
Cherise Leclerc, a fellow cheerleader who now works as a television reporter in Springfield, said Lord was exceedingly bright and athletic. Lord worked as a digital media analyst, but her dream, Leclerc said, was to be a wedding planner.
“She always told me in high school she wanted to be a wedding planner,†Leclerc said. “She loved weddings, loved families and loved the idea of getting married.â€
The company where Lord worked, Genuine Interactive, released a statement saying that her death was “both tragic and shocking.â€
“We are taking time to focus on the well-being of Amy’s family and friends, while trying to come to grips with the loss of such a vibrant, caring, and special young person,†the company said, describing Lord as someone with “an infectious positive personality†and “an ever-present smile and caring nature.â€
“We are extremely saddened by her passing,†the statement said.
“The Bentley community grieves along with so many who knew and loved this ambitious, energetic and talented young woman,†Bentley University said in a statement.
The university said Lord graduated in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree. The university said she was involved in numerous activities and was active in intramural soccer.
At least five young women got out of a car today in front of Lord’s apartment building and met about three women who had walked from around the corner. The women, most of them wiping tears from their eyes, consoled each other with hugs and pats on the back as they stood in front of the entrance to her apartment. They declined to comment and walked away.
Earlier today, more than 30 Boston police cruisers lined Enneking Parkway, in addition to another dozen or so unmarked vehicles.
Dozens of officers filed in and out of the wooded area. Some unloaded rakes and shovels from a Public Works Department truck.
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Globe correspondent Colin A. Young and Martin Finucane of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Maria Cramer can be reached at mcramer@globe.com. Brian Ballou can be reached at bballou@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @globeballou. Wesley Lowery can be reached at wesley.lowery@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @WesleyLowery.
