Authorities in New Jersey are delving into the tragic death of a 34-year-old mother, Christina Burdette, whose lifeless body was discovered in an Atlantic City apartment over the past weekend. The case, now ruled a homicide by the medical examiner, has sparked an urgent quest for answers.

According to a report from WPVI, Christina was found dead on Saturday morning. Although the medical examiner has yet to disclose the specific cause of her death, her family is already reeling from the brutality suggested by her injuries.

Nicole Burdette, Christina’s sister, shared with the station that investigators mentioned her sister appeared to have been involved in a violent struggle. “She looked like she was in a fight,” Nicole recounted, highlighting the numerous bruises that covered Christina’s body.

Adding to the distressing details, Nicole noted that Christina’s head had been wrapped in gauze, further painting a grim picture of the circumstances surrounding her demise.

Christina’s head was wrapped in gauze, Nicole said.

Christina Burdette and her 3- and 6-year-old children had been living in an apartment belonging to a relative of her children’s father, who died a few years ago, Nicole Burdette said, according to WPHL.

It’s not clear who alerted investigators to the body, if the children were at the apartment when Burdette’s body was found, or where the children are now.

“We don’t quite know what’s going on,” she told WPVI. “We don’t want to point fingers because we don’t know, but at the same time, it’s very sketchy.”

Burdette’s children are now without parents altogether, Burdette’s mother, Stephanie Abeulkabiir, said.

“Get justice for my daughter,” said Abeulkabiir. “She did not deserve to go out the way she did.”