Vanessa Pham Seen Half Hour Before Death, Say Cops

MERRIFIELD, Va. (CBS) Vanessa Pham was reportedly alive and well about a half hour before her body was found in her overturned car on the side of the road in Fairfax County, according to recent witness reports.

PICTURES: Vanessa Pham Murdered

Fairfax County police say that multiple witnesses have reported that Vanessa was seen at an undisclosed business at a shopping mall 14 miles west of Washington D.C. The witnesses said she didn't appear to be in any kind of distress.

These new reports seem to confirm that Vanessa may have been picked at random, a theory that investigators have been following after family and friends said that she was very well-liked and had no known conflicts with anyone leading up to her death, according to the Washington Post.

Vanessa's body was found June 26 by first responders after someone reported what they believed to be an abandoned vehicle. Police have said that multiple stab wounds caused Pham's death.

The 19-year-old college student lived with her mother and extended family in the Falls Church area, about nine miles west of Washington D.C. A memorial was held Wednesday at James Madison High School in Vienna, Va., where Vanessa graduated last year.

A funeral has been planned for Wednesday and Vanessa's friends have organized a fundraiser to help her mother pay for the funeral costs. Vanessa's mother, Julie Pham, told CBS affiliate WUSA that she had recently taken out a $40,000 loan to pay for Vanessa's college tuition.

MORE ON CRIMESIDER: July 2, 2010 - Vanessa Pham, Teen Murder Victim, Remembered by Friends, Family
June 30, 2010 - Vanessa Pham, Teen Found Dead in Car Crash, Was Stabbed to Death First, Say Police