ROCKY RIVER, Ohio — Five years with no answers. That's how long it's been since Carnell Sledge, 40, and Katherine Brown, 33, were shot and killed in a double homicide in the Rocky River Reservation.
It's now been half a decade with a killer on the loose and no arrests. A $100,000 reward remains unclaimed.
The brutal killing happened just after 5 p.m. on June 4, 2019, in a parking lot north of the Lorain Road Bridge in the park.
Sledge and Brown arrived just after 5 p.m., exited their cars and sat down together on a nearby bench. The two had been friends for more than a decade.
Sometime between 5:08 and 5:15 p.m., an unknown person shot both of them. Brown’s body was found in the water. She had been shot once in the head. Sledge was found on the ground nearby. He had been shot multiple times in the head, according to authorities.
Just minutes later, at 5:18 p.m., two kayakers found their bodies and called 911.
RELATED: Bodies of man and woman found at Rocky River Reservation
Despite the location being in a high-traffic area for both cars and people walking through, the killer slipped away unnoticed, and there were no known witnesses to the crime.
The FBI joins the case
In 2020, the Cleveland Division of the FBI told News 5 that the agency was joining the investigation because the deaths of Sledge and Brown "was such a heinous and violent crime in a public area."
The FBI said the attack was made in a very brazen and specific manner, and the agency had "no reason to believe it was random," but it's also not known if the two were targeted.
The FBI told us it was a busy day in the park on the evening Sledge and Brown were shot. The park was full of joggers, kayakers, bicyclists and people driving through.
The agency continues to ask for tips, posting on X on the fifth anniversary of their deaths: "If you know something, heard something, or have been keeping information to yourself, know that your identity can remain anonymous when reporting tips or leads to the FBI. Please share."
If you know something, heard something, or have been keeping information to yourself, know that your identity can remain anonymous when reporting tips or leads to the FBI. Please share.https://t.co/wINgASZ0gC pic.twitter.com/ykguBI8hiv
— FBI Cleveland (@FBICleveland) June 4, 2024
A witness to the slayings could hold the key to solving the crime.
Over the years, hundreds of tips have come into the agency and to the FBI and CrimeStoppers, but nothing has panned out.
Brown's family speaks out
After the killing, investigators touched base with Brown's family to keep them apprised of the situation, but as time passed, communication became fewer and farther between—because investigators were running out of data and tips to comb through.
How someone could get away with murder in broad daylight is a mystery Brown's family said was something they were trying to wrap their heads around when we spoke to them in 2021.
RELATED: 2 years later, Rocky River Reservation killer still hasn't been found, in spite of $100,000 reward
Brown's family said it will never stop trying to figure out what happened and who did it.
The reward grows
The FBI initially offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the homicides.
Within four months, that amount increased to $30,000 when the FBI raised it by $5,000, and Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County pitched in another $5,000.
In February 2020, Brown’s family contributed $70,000, bringing the award up to $100,000 for help in solving the case.
RELATED: Kate Brown's family makes plea for justice in Rocky River Reservation double homicide
How you can help
Anyone with information can call the Cleveland FBI at 216-522-1400, the Metroparks police dedicated tip line at 440-331-5219 or Crime Stoppers at 216-252-7463. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
CLICK HERE to read News 5's full coverage of the Rocky River homicides.
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