Parents of Instagram star Jenae Gagnier, known as Miss Mercedes Morr, share heartbreaking details of her tragic death, believing a crazed follower to be responsible.
The parents of Jenae Gagnier, famously known to her millions of Instagram followers as Miss Mercedes Morr, are grappling with unimaginable grief after her shocking murder. They describe the devastating discovery and their belief that a deranged follower was behind the heinous crime that took their daughter’s life. “My monthly conversation is, Jenae you have all these followers. Some probably because they love you, some because they like your look, some more crazy, and some obsessed,” her father, Mark Gagnier, poignantly recalled. Tragically, their worst fears materialized when a man they believe was an obsessed admirer not only murdered Jenae but also fatally wounded himself, leaving behind disturbing confessions scrawled on her apartment walls.
Jeaneta Grover, Jenae’s mother, expressed the profound loss, “She’s a person. That was our baby,” highlighting the deep personal tragedy behind the headlines surrounding the Miss Mercedes Morr case. In their first interview since the horrific incident, Jenae’s parents spoke with KTRK-TV, an ABC7 sister station, painting a picture of their daughter beyond her Instagram persona. They remembered Jenae as a dependable and loving older sister, a cherished daddy’s girl, and her mother’s closest confidante. “She was so famous in her world, and so loved in ours,” Grover stated, emphasizing the stark contrast between her public image as Miss Mercedes Morr and her private life as a beloved family member.
Jenae Gagnier, Miss Mercedes Morr to her fans, had risen to prominence in the entertainment industry, particularly in Houston. Her captivating and bold photographs on Instagram garnered immense popularity, attracting hundreds of thousands of likes and followers. Her father confessed to his anxieties regarding her fame, “It scared the hell out of me,” Mark Gagnier admitted. “My daughter was beautiful. That scared the hell out of me. And she kept trying to get more and more beautiful, she worked on it hard. That scared the hell out of me.” Despite his underlying fears about the darker side of online fame, he could never have envisioned the horrifying scene he would encounter at his 33-year-old daughter’s apartment on that fateful Sunday evening. Driven by concern after failing to reach Jenae throughout the weekend, he rushed to her residence, sensing something was terribly wrong.
“I know my daughter and when I got to my daughter’s house and it was locked up and she’s not answering my phone call, which is not like her, I knew something was up. So I didn’t hesitate to kick the door down,” Gagnier recounted the harrowing moment. “What I saw, I wouldn’t want any parent to go through.” He discovered his daughter’s lifeless body at the foot of the stairs. Initially, a heartbroken Gagnier hoped it was a tragic accident. However, upon reaching the upstairs, he and his girlfriend were confronted with the grim reality – Jenae’s killer, Kevin Accorto, 34, was present with a self-inflicted knife wound to his neck. Investigators concluded that Accorto had stabbed himself after committing the murder.
“He was twitching, he was gurgling,” Gagnier described the gruesome scene. “I could look in the room and there’s writings all over the wall.” Written in lipstick and pens, these rambling messages were a mix of confessions, apologies, and declarations of love for Jenae – a woman with whom investigators believe Accorto had no prior personal connection. The writings painted a disturbing picture of obsession and delusion, solidifying the family’s belief that Accorto was a crazed stalker who had targeted Miss Mercedes Morr.
“My monthly conversation is, Jenae you have all these followers. Some probably because they love you, some because you like your look, some more crazy, and some obsessed,” Gagnier reiterated, emphasizing the chilling prescience of his warnings to his daughter about the potential dangers lurking within her vast online following. Her family is convinced that Accorto was precisely the kind of “crazed follower” they had feared – someone who stalked Jenae and ultimately managed to locate her. “I don’t know how he found her and I don’t know how all this happened,” her father lamented, grappling with the unanswered questions surrounding the tragedy of Miss Mercedes Morr.
As news of the Instagram star’s death, Miss Mercedes Morr, spread rapidly across social media platforms on Sunday, it was unfortunately accompanied by a wave of harmful rumors and misinformation. “It went from false accusations of HIV or COVID, to other things,” Gagnier stated, highlighting the added pain inflicted by these baseless speculations during an already unbearable time. Her parents expressed their distress over the internet rumors, which further complicated their grieving process for Miss Mercedes Morr.
The medical examiner’s report officially confirmed Jenae’s death as a homicide, revealing the cause to be strangulation and a traumatic concussion, as verified by the Fort Bend County Medical Examiner. The ongoing investigation is now focused on unraveling the details of how Accorto managed to find Jenae and gain entry into her apartment, seeking to provide some clarity amidst the devastating loss of Miss Mercedes Morr and to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
