Mother murdered in Philadephia home while her 2-year-old was inside

PORT RICHMOND -- A 22-year-old mother was found murdered inside of her home in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia while her child was also inside.

The victim is identified as Stephanie Dzikowski.

Dzikowski lived in the home with her father, boyfriend and 2-year-old daughter. Her friends say she and her boyfriend were planning to move into their own place in just a few days.

She had just graduated from dental hygiene school and started her first job.

The shooting happened on the 3000 block of Aramingo Avenue around 11:30 p.m. Thursday night.

Neighbors on the block reported hearing a loud bang, rushed to the home, and found the woman dead.

Philadelphia Police say Dzikowski was shot in the head and found in a bedroom.

Her 2-year-old girl was not injured.

Her father was at work and her boyfriend reportedly had just stepped out to go to the corner store. Neighbors say that, after the shooting, the screen door was wide open, the front door was unlocked, and everything was in its place.

"Nothing was touched," said her cousin, Michael McGovern. "Nothing."

A neighbor saw a man running from the home and chased after him. Police say he was wearing a gray hoodie and fled the scene south on Aramingo Avenue.

"It's very disturbing," McGovern said.

"This is a close knit neighborhood. The neighbors are really puzzled as to who would want to harm this mother, young mother," said Philadelphia Police Captain Drew Techner.

Donna Simpson, who lives nearby, was emotional when talking about the victim.

"Stephanie, she was the best and the best mother in the world," she said. "They need to find out who did this, because this is not right."

The 2-year-old is with family members.