Mom of 5 shot dead while heading to weekly church service, body found in alley behind her house days before birthday: Cops

Inset: Kiara Jenkins. Background: The Chicago church that Kiara Jenkins was heading to when she was shot and killed in an alley behind her house (WLS).

A "loving" mother of five in Chicago who was getting ready to celebrate her birthday next week was gunned down and killed while heading to an early morning church service, officials and family say. Her body was found in an alley behind her home.

"This was a senseless act of violence that never should have happened," wrote 20th Ward Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor in a statement Tuesday. "This tragedy has shaken our community deeply."

Relatives and friends of Kiara Jenkins, 36, say she was a very religious person who dedicated herself to her church, the Mt. Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in Woodlawn. She regularly attended its 5 a.m. service and was heading there on Sunday morning when she was killed, according to her family and churchgoers, who spoke to CBS affiliate WBBM about Jenkins' death.

Jenkins' body was found a little after 4:30 a.m. with multiple gunshot wounds in an alley behind her home near 64th Street and Drexel Avenue, according to police.

Cops have not made any arrests yet and a $10,000 reward is being offered to anyone who can help find the person or people who killed Jenkins.

"This not fair at all," a family member wrote on Facebook, where relatives and churchgoers have shown their support and grief in the wake of Jenkins' death on Sunday.

"I see these post all the time and immediately pray for the family and feel sad for them…now it's my family and it hurts so bad!" said one relative. "She didn't deserve this! Lord help my family."

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Another family member wrote, "Kiara, my sweet beautiful girl, this is so unreal. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and it will just be a bad dream. Anyone whoever met you, right away knew you were special. I love you … and you will forever be in my heart. This hurts so bad and I'm struggling with the pain of losing you."

According to WBBM, Jenkins' children range in age from a college freshman to a 10-year-old. She was going to be celebrating her 37th birthday on Jan. 25, her family says.