MONROE, Wash. — Family and friends of a former western Washington pediatrician are mourning her loss.
Dr. Talat Jehan Khan was stabbed to death over the weekend in a Houston suburb. The suspect is behind bars tonight, but the motive remains unclear.
Dr. Khan worked as a pediatrician in several community medical centers in western Washington, including in Marysville and most recently, in Monroe. She just moved away in July to work at Texas Children's Hospital. Her friends say she moved there because she wanted to live somewhere with more sunshine.
Sea Mar Medical Clinic in Monroe had two different memorials set up in memory of Dr. Kahn on Tuesday. It is where she worked for several years before moving.
“She was a great doctor, but an even better person,” said her former coworker and friend Virginia Sanchez.
Everyone in the community medical center was mourning Tuesday, trying to comprehend the tragedy.
“I couldn't believe it. I thought maybe it's another Talat Khan, there's a lot of Khans in this country,” said Tania Hernandez, who had known Khan for almost a decade.
Authorities in the town of Conroe said the 52-year-old mother of two was sitting at a picnic table Saturday afternoon at her apartment complex when a 24-year-old man stabbed her to death. Witnesses say he came out of nowhere. The man is in jail and charged with murder.
“It’s just a terrible thing. I mean, she should not have left like that. I don't think it's fair,” said Sanchez, who was friends and coworkers with Khan for 16 years.
Sanchez just spoke with Dr. Kahn on the phone last week.
“She wanted me to promise her that I would go visit her soon, and I did promise her. But, you know, it's not going to happen anymore,” said Sanchez, as she held back tears.
Her friends described her as a loving mother who was strong in her faith. They said she was kind and caring to everyone she met.
“She would have helped anybody. She would not care your religion, color, social status,” said Hernandez.
“She always wanted to get to know everybody and tried to be nice to everybody,” said Sanchez. “She just had a great heart.”
Both women say Dr. Khan left a lasting impact on them and hundreds of people in western Washington. They said they will miss her guidance and supportive conversations. Sanchez shared one final message she would have for Dr. Khan.
“That I love her and that I miss her,” said Sanchez. “And just thank her for everything that she did for us.”
The Southwest Chapter of the Anti-Defamation League and The Council on American-Islamic Relations are calling on law enforcement to figure out if Khan's killing was a hate crime.
Khan's body is being brought back to Washington on Tuesday and services are being held on Thursday, Nov. 2. A prayer will be held at Masjid Umar Al-Farooq Mosque at 1:30 p.m. in Mountlake Terrace and the funeral will be at Woodlawn Cemetery in Snohomish.
Watch KING 5's top stories playlist: