The Murder of Kenisha Dixon

 

Kenisha Dixon’s life was senselessly and tragically taken from her on May 9th, 2000. 

The 21-year-old woman was at her apartment in Houston, Texas on the morning of her murder. At 11:10 AM, Kenisha heard a knock on her front door. She opened it and was immediately shot to death by the person on the other side of the door. Kenisha’s assailant fled the scene after the shooting and to this day has never been identified. 

Very little is known about Kenisha and/or the events leading up to her death. What is known is that she moved into the apartment where she was killed just two months earlier. Kenisha did not have a boyfriend but lived with a male roommate. Said roommate was reportedly not home at the time of Kenisha’s murder.

It’s also known that Kenisha seemed to be fearful of answering the door that morning. She reportedly grabbed a handgun before opening the door. Unfortunately, Kenisha was shot so quickly that she did not have time to defend herself. Investigators later discovered the handgun in close proximity to Kenisha’s body. 

Kenisha’s male roommate told police that he was the owner of said handgun. The reason why Kenisha felt she needed to bring it with her to answer the door remains a mystery. It’s clear that she was correct about any danger she might have sensed - but the reasons why she was scared, and why she was killed, are unknown to this day. 

The Houston PD stated that “investigators were able to ascertain valuable information while conducting a canvas, interviewing residents of the apartment complex and others.” Still, over 25 years have passed since Kenisha’s murder, and no arrests have been made - nor have any suspects been publicly identified.

Kenisha’s murder remains unsolved. Her case is listed as a cold case by the Houston Police Department. Anyone with information that could help solve the murder of Kenisha Dixon is asked to contact the Houston PD Cold Case Squad at 713-308-3618.

Sources:
Crime Immemorial
Houston PD Cold Cases
Our Black Girls

The Disappearance and Murder of Danielle Moss

 

Danielle Moss vanished in Washington, DC on April 9th, 2023. The 32-year-old woman was last seen between 11:00 AM and 12:00 PM that day, reportedly at a liquor store near her residence on Q Street. Danielle was supposed to go to her parents’ residence that afternoon to celebrate Easter with her family members. She never showed up, and her loved ones never saw or heard from her again.

Danielle was reported missing on April 11th, 2023, after her family learned that she had not been answering phone calls from Andre Hudson, the father of her son. Danielle’s son was only 3 years old at the time, and he had been with his father on the weekend of Danielle’s disappearance. Family members say that Danielle would never ignore calls regarding her son, nor would she ever voluntarily leave him behind. 

Two months passed without any sign of Danielle. Then, on June 10th, 2023, police in Waldorf, Maryland received a call about a partially covered body that had been spotted in a wooded area near Holly Springs Drive. Days later, authorities announced that the body was that of Danielle Moss. Her death was ruled a homicide, though her exact cause of death has not been disclosed.

Shortly after Danielle’s body was found, police stated that they were speaking to a person of interest. However, years have passed, and no persons of interest or suspects have ever been publicly identified. Reports indicate that Danielle’s family believed she was “involved with some people who didn’t have her best interests in mind”, but they still do not know who would have wanted her dead. Danielle has been described as a dedicated mother who had a good co-parenting relationship with her son’s father. She did not have any known enemies.

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is investigating Danielle’s homicide. If you have any information that could help solve the case, please contact authorities at 301-609-6518.

Sources:

Charles County Sheriff’s Office
Disappeared Blog

Fox 5
NBC Washington
WTOP

The Disappearance of Merkedes Jordan

 

Merkedes Jordan has been missing since November 7th, 2006. The then-21-year-old vanished from Meridian, Mississippi. On the day of her disappearance, Merkedes was last seen outside of the Western Gardens Apartment Complex. She has never been seen or heard from again.

There are very little details available about the circumstances surrounding Merkedes’ disappearance. Reports regarding her case state that Merkedes was seen talking to an unidentified male next to a black vehicle in the apartment complex’s parking lot. This was the last known sighting of the young woman; what happened after that has remained a mystery for nearly two decades.

Merkedes’ family members do not think she would leave on her own accord; they believe she was taken against her will. However, no persons of interest or suspects have ever been publicly identified. Merkedes’ case is unfortunately one of several that has received minimal media attention. Updates on the investigation have not been provided throughout the years. 

Merkedes left behind a son who was just a baby at the time of her disappearance. Her son has now grown up without his mother, and her other loved ones have been left without answers. Merkedes’ case is still open but considered a cold case.

If you have any information that could help solve the disappearance of Merkedes Jordan, please contact the Meridian Police Department at 601-485-1843.

Sources:

Charley Project
The Doe Network
MissingSippi
NamUs
Our Black Girls

The Disappearance of Sheena Johnson

 

Sheena Johnson has been missing since September 8th, 2006. The then-21-year-old was last seen at a convenience store called McDuff Food Mart in Jacksonville, Florida. Sheena never returned home and has never been seen or heard from again.

According to reports, the McDuff Food Mart was located just a few blocks away from Sheena’s family’s home on Mackinaw Street. Sheena walked to the store to buy a cigar. Before leaving her residence, Sheena told her mother she’d return shortly, but unfortunately, she never came back home. What was supposed to be a brief trip to a convenience store soon turned into a mystery that still remains unsolved after two decades.

Sheena was reported missing on September 11th, 2006. Her loved ones told authorities that it was uncharacteristic for her to leave without warning. It was also uncharacteristic for her to not answer her phone, which had been shut off since the day she vanished. Sheena did not have any known enemies at the time she went missing, nor did she have a history of mental illness. 

Despite all of these circumstances, authorities initially did not suspect that foul play was responsible for Sheena’s disappearance. However, after an extended period of time passed without any sign of Sheena at all, authorities finally considered foul play a possibility. Still - no suspects or persons of interest have ever been publicly identified. 

News reporting about Sheena’s case has been minimal. She remains missing today, and her disappearance has unfortunately grown into a cold case. If you have any information that could help solve the disappearance of Sheena Johnson, please contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at 904-630-0500.

Sources:
Charley Project
City of Jacksonville on X
Facebook

Justice Coalition

The Murder of Tiona Smith

 

On the morning of November 6th, 2005, children in a Baltimore, Maryland neighborhood called Woodlawn were playing outside when they stumbled upon something unexpected behind a home: the body of a woman. Police were called, and it was soon determined that the deceased woman was a 23-year-old Baltimore resident named Tiona Smith.

It was almost immediately clear that Tiona’s death was a murder. She had been brutally beaten and stabbed. An autopsy officially ruled that Tiona was killed by multiple sharp force injuries. Over two decades have passed since this brutal killing, and both investigators and Tiona’s loved ones are still left with two unanswered questions: who killed Tiona? And why?

Throughout the investigation, detectives have been able to piece together a timeline of the events leading up to Tiona’s murder. On November 5th, 2005, Tiona went to her job at a McDonald’s on Cranbrook Road in Cockeysville. Tiona’s shift ended at 10:45 PM, after which she and a friend boarded an MTA bus, presumably to make their way home. 

Reports state that Tiona’s friend got off the bus a few stops before Tiona. Tiona then got off the bus at the Eutaw and Fayette street drop-off. A CCTV camera captured Tiona at that bus stop. The same cameras also captured a white car driving by the stop. Witnesses later told police that they saw Tiona getting into that vehicle.

A few hours later, around 1:15 AM, residents in the Woodlawn neighborhood heard sounds of a woman screaming. According to detectives, the residents “believe that what she was yelling was 'no' or 'stop' several times, and then the voice stopped calling out.” Hours later, at 11:00 AM, the children playing in that neighborhood came across Tiona’s body. She was still dressed in her McDonald’s uniform. 

Tiona’s family members have said that they do not know why Tiona was in the neighborhood where her body was found, as she had no known connections to that area. The driver of the white vehicle that Tiona was seen getting into is also unknown as well. No persons of interest or suspects have ever been publicly named in Tiona’s case.

Tiona’s mother has still not given up on finding justice for Tiona. In 2023, her mother told reporters, “I do not want revenge. I want justice for my daughter because she deserves it. Whoever took her life, they didn't give her that life. They had no right to take her life.”

If you have any information that could help solve the murder of Tiona Smith, please contact authorities in Baltimore at 410-307-2020 or bcopd@baltimorecountymd.gov.

Sources:
ABC 2 Baltimore

Baltimore County PD

CBS News

WBAL TV 11

The Murder of Damesha Hunter

 

Damesha Hunter was only 32 years old when her life was tragically taken on October 14th, 2010. The young woman was found shot to death inside her home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Damesha’s death has been a devastating loss for her loved ones, especially her four children. This loss continues to be amplified by the fact that Damesha’s killer(s) have still not been brought to justice. 

Damesha’s husband, Laroye Hunter III, told police that he was at work at the time of the murder, but that he spoke to Damesha on the phone shortly before she was killed. Laroye explained that, during their phone conversation, he heard someone come to Damesha’s front door. He said that Damesha put down the phone to see who was at the door and never returned.

Laroye then said that he went home to check on Damesha and found that she had been shot inside the residence. Police were called, and Damesha was pronounced deceased on the scene. Her death was ruled a homicide.

Damesha’s friends and family describe her as a loving mother who was a friend to all. On the surface level, a motive for Damesha’s murder seems difficult to determine - as she did not have any known enemies. However, a closer look into Damesha’s relationships and the events leading up to her murder may hold the answers.

Relationship with Laroye Hunter III.

An investigation into Damesha’s murder was immediately launched, during which homicide detectives learned that Damesha’s husband, Laroye, had been abusive towards Damesha several times throughout their relationship. In 2006, while Damesha was eight and a half months pregnant, she called police after Laroye reportedly “pushed her to the ground, hit her in the mouth with his shoe and tried to strangle her.” 

This incident occurred after Damesha confronted Laroye about having a new girlfriend. The charges were later dropped after Damesha did not show up in court. Damesha and Laroye continued their relationship off-and-on during the following four years. They got married in January 2010.

On March 18th, 2010, it was determined that Laroye was not the father of Damesha’s youngest child. That same date, Damesha sought out a protective order against Laroye, stating that he pushed her to the floor and tried to choke her. The protective order was granted and was still in effect at the time of Damesha’s murder.

Despite the protective order, it appears that Damesha and Laroye were still in contact in the months leading up to her death. In fact, Damesha called the police just days before the murder, stating that Laroye was hitting her while she was trying to drive home. Police looked for Laroye that evening but were unable to locate him.

After Damesha’s murder, Laroye was arrested for violating the protective order. He was not charged with anything related to Damesha’s murder. To this day, he has not been labeled a suspect.

A mysterious letter.

Police also learned that, on September 16th, 2010, Damesha received a letter in the mail from a woman who identified herself as “Kee Kee”. In the letter, Kee Kee told Damesha that she had been in a relationship with Damesha’s husband Laroye for about two years - and now she was approximately 4 months pregnant with his baby. 

After Damesha’s murder, police made a public appeal for “Kee Kee” to come forward. They also asked for anyone who might know Kee Kee to contact authorities as well. It’s unknown if they ever received any substantial leads from this appeal.

A lack of updates.

There have been very few updates provided about the investigation into Damesha’s murder.

It’s likely that detectives have kept details of their investigation under wraps due to the fact that it is still ongoing. In 2022, the OSBI made another public appeal for anyone with information about Damesha’s murder to come forward. Still, no arrests have been made.

Investigating agency.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is in charge of Damesha’s case. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact authorities at 800-522-8017 or submit a tip online.

–

Sources:
KTUL
News on 6
Oklahoma Cold Cases
Tulsa World

The Disappearance of Shelayah Gonzalez

 

Shelayah Renee Gonzalez vanished at the age of 21 on July 16th, 2005. The young woman lived in Brooklyn, New York at the time of her disappearance. Shelayah was reportedly last seen at her residence in the 1100 block of Winthrop Street in the New York City borough. She disappeared at some point following that final sighting and has never been seen or heard from again.

There are very few details available about Shelayah’s case. The circumstances/events leading up to her disappearance are unclear. The one detail that has been publicly shared is that Shelayah had a son who passed at 24 months old in June 2005 - less than a month before she vanished. 

In January 2011, approximately five and a half years after Shelayah’s disappearance, her aunt made the following post on CNN’s iReport site: “My niece, Shelayah Renee Gonzalez, has been missing since July 16, 2005. She lost her 24-month-old son in June and disappeared from home less than a month later. Her mother and I looked all over NYC for her to include contacting the NYPD and placing posters in neighborhoods that she has grown up in. We are still in contact with the NYPD and have hit a stone wall because of her age. We've been unable to get any new information on her although we feel that the NYPD has information concerning her disappearance or current location.”

Now, nearly two decades have passed since Shelayah’s disappearance, and there have not been any updates. She remains missing today, and her disappearance is considered a cold case. The loss of Shelayah’s son followed by the disappearance of Shelayah herself must have been devastating events for her family members. They deserve closure and answers about what happened to Shelayah.

If you have any information that could help solve the disappearance of Shelayah Gonzalez, please contact the New York Police Department at 212-473-2042.

Sources:

Charley Project
CNN
NamUs
Track Missing
Websleuths