Update: Months after the double homicide of Carnell Sledge and Kate Brown at the Rocky River Reservation in June, the FBI and Crime Stoppers are now offering a potential reward of $30,000 to anyone offering valuable information in the case.
This is a jump from the original reward of $20,000. The murders remain unsolved.
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(Original story June 25, 2019): Cleveland Metroparks police chief Katherine Dolan and FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Cleveland Office Eric Smith updated the press Monday afternoon on the double homicide at Rocky River Reservation earlier this month. The goal of the press conference, held at the FBI’s Cleveland field office, was principally to publicize the need for more information.
While they have received numerous tips, Dolan and Smith said that there are likely witnesses who might not know they saw something important. They have asked anyone who was in Rocky River Reservation between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. June 4, especially near the area described below, to contact the tip line: (440) 331-5219.
Carnell Sledge and Kate Brown were shot and killed in broad daylight on what was a warm, sunny evening. They arrived in separate vehicles at the pulloff parking lot just north of the Lorain Bridge on Valley Parkway shortly after 5 p.m. The two friends sat together on a bench overlooking the river when they were killed (between 5:08 and 5:15 p.m.)
Smith said that this is among the busiest times of the day for the Reservation. There likely would have been joggers, cyclists and motorists nearby. Kayakers came upon the bodies at 5:18 p.m. and called the police.
“You may have seen something that will give us a critical piece of information,” said Smith, “even if you don’t think it’s important.”
Dolan reiterated that the killing was an isolated incident — she would not say that the killing was “targeted,” but neither was it “totally random” — and that folks should still make use of the Metroparks.
“Just be vigilant,” she said. “And if you see something, say something.”
No additional information regarding the evidence investigators have collected or potential motives in the slayings were released. Cleveland Metroparks detectives are continuing to work the case in coordination with BCI, the Medical Examiner’s office and the FBI.
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This article appears in Jun 19-25, 2019.
Sledge was a wonderful person and the students he worked with loved him. I hope this case gets solved soon for both of the families to have closure.
That spot is not far from where I live. Very sad and also very unsettling. Were they stalked and killed because of a love triangle of some sort? That would not be such a ‘mystery” requiring the public’s assistance.
Possibly a hate crime? He was black and she was white…and some racist may have simply decided to kill them for that reason alone. Wrong place at the wrong time…and just very unlucky. I have lived near that part of the park for many years and I cannot recall any murders ever happening there before. The very fact that the cops and the FBI need the public’s help is also very creepy. They’re stumped? Wow…
To have the time-frame pinned to 5:08-5:15pm- minutes after they arrived they were killed~it seems that someone was waiting for them. Sadly it also seems that there arent many camera’s to capture the getaway car. Or maybe the killer used a golf cart? or simply hiked his way out of the park. Wishing now they had closed off all the roads that lead in/out when they got that 911 call. So heartbreaking- two very beautiful people with wonderful loving families.
I truly believe that they were targeted, because my cousin Carnell left work only 38 mins prior to his death. It would take him anywhere from 15/20 mins to get to the location, So whoever did this knew exactly where these two would be. The FBI need to step it up !!! And if someone did see something please say something. This was a senseless crime !!! Someone took two beautiful lives and destroyed our families!!! FOR WHAT???? We want JUSTICE NOW!!!!
Dislikes for bringing up a possible racist hate crime in oh-so-tolerant Cleveland? How hard it is to accept the truth.
Yes.
Okay, you don’t like hearing about racism in this town? Let’s boil it down to one word: Nazis.
Some neo-Nazi skinhead saw ‘race-mixing’ on that bench and got lucky because nobody saw him.
Why else would the FBI be involved if there wasn’t the strong possibility of a white supremecist?
He”ll probably get drunk somewhere and brag too loudly. Or somebody will finally rat him out.