OH OH - Carnell Sledge, 40, & Katherine Brown, 33, shot dead in park, Cleveland, 4 Jun 2019

[doozle]

Officials ask for help as Rocky River murders remain a mystery

FBI emphasizes brazen nature of Rocky River murders while asking for public's help

"They arrived in separate vehicles at approximately 5:04 p.m. to the pull-off lot north of the Lorain Bridge. They exited their vehicles and sat on the park bench along the river. Within minutes of their arrival, they were shot in the head, sometime between 5:08 and 5:15 p.m. "

ETA headline from article

 

[doozle]

Investigators pleading for information about suspect responsible for double homicide at Rocky River Reservation

"The two victims were friends for more than 10 years, but authorities do not believe that there was any sort of romantic relationship between the two."

Homicide victim Carnell Sledge seemed fine hours before he died, co-worker says

"Hours before his violent death in a Cleveland MetroParks, Carnell Sledge spoke to a co-worker at Cleveland-based Crescent Digital and showed no signs of distress, the co-worker told cleveland.com..."

 

[oceanstarryeyes]

Sounds like one of the two was being tracked by a Mad Spouse.

 

[Betty P]

Very disturbing, sad case. Carnell Sledge sounds like he was a great person. Thanks for posting. Surprised that LE doesn't have any leads yet. Good thing some of the local news media are still covering the story.

According to the link above, LE doesn't believe there was any romantic relationship between the two victims. They were shot during broad daylight while sitting on a park bench next to Rocky River.

This is a very safe area, not usually frequented by criminals. There would have been other people walking, jogging or driving through the park. It's very busy there, with a marina and many restaurants nearby. There have been some hate groups active on that side of town in recent years, actually not far from this location. The groups themselves may not be involved, but someone might have been peeved at seeing a mixed race couple in the park. It's not something you would normally see in that area.

Here Are The Hate Groups Operating In Northeast Ohio

Hate Map


A $20,000 reward is being offered through Crime Stoppers

Anyone with information should call the Cleveland Metroparks Police tip line at 440-331-5219 or Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County at 216-252-7463.

 

[Betty P]

More news stories. It looks like police are getting tips from the public

Tips but still no arrests made in Rocky River murders

Investigators would like anyone who was in the park between 4:30 and 5:30 on the afternoon of June 4 to call the FBI at 216-522-1400, CrimeStoppers at 216-252-7463 or Metroparks Police at 440-331-5219. Reward money is available.

The FBI is helping out. The killings happened during a very busy time in the park when a lot of people would be driving, biking, etc. Very bold move by the killer/s. Either someone very angry or mentally ill/on drugs.

Families coping with tragedy following unsolved Metroparks homicides

 

[doozle]

The "Who Killed Amy Mihaljevic?" podcast did an episode on this case that included primarily the audio from the press conference.

Unfortunately the website is set up kind of oddly.... If you subscribe to the podcast, it's episode 21, released July 1.

This link may work also:
Who Killed Carnell Sledge & Katherine Brown?

 

[mgeni]

I hadn’t even thought to search websleuths for this and I’ve been a reader here since 2005. Still no news. Sledge was my cousin’s coworker and a friend of mine. My cousin set us up on a date, certain we’d get married. It didn’t work out that way, but not any fault of his (we lived over 2 hours apart with super busy schedules). We stayed friends. He was truly one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. Probably THE nicest.
The hate group angle is where I lean, too. I personally have received death threats aimed at my 13 year old son (he was 11 and 12 when the threats were received), so nothing surprises me anymore. Sledge and Kate had been good friends for over a decade, not a couple, but a passerby wouldn’t have known that. Absolutely senseless.
Sorry for the rambling. Thank you for posting and updating. I hope answers come out soon!

 

[mgeni]

I have never posted a link on here before so hopefully this works. It’s a new article about Kate’s family speaking out. Her sister’s theory about dating apps and Tinder was my original theory (after we knew there wasn’t a current boyfriend). But I do think Betty P’s theory is involved, as well. Jmo, moo, all of those.

Family makes emotional plea after woman murdered in Cleveland Metroparks

 

[Betty P]

DBM

 

[Betty P]

I hadn’t even thought to search websleuths for this and I’ve been a reader here since 2005. Still no news. Sledge was my cousin’s coworker and a friend of mine. My cousin set us up on a date, certain we’d get married. It didn’t work out that way, but not any fault of his (we lived over 2 hours apart with super busy schedules). We stayed friends. He was truly one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. Probably THE nicest.
The hate group angle is where I lean, too. I personally have received death threats aimed at my 13 year old son (he was 11 and 12 when the threats were received), so nothing surprises me anymore. Sledge and Kate had been good friends for over a decade, not a couple, but a passerby wouldn’t have known that. Absolutely senseless.
Sorry for the rambling. Thank you for posting and updating. I hope answers come out soon!

Thanks for telling us more about Sledge. I'm so sorry for the pain and sadness his family and friends are experiencing. It was such a senseless crime. The killer is lucky that he's gotten away thus far, but hopefully he will soon be forced out of the shadows. As many have already said, these people were not high risk victims. They were innocent people killed in a low-crime area, a park where violent crime is very rare.

I also know people who have received death threats from some groups who operate close to that area.

Here are some MSM news articles about some of the groups in the area where these murders occurred

Lakewood bus stops plastered with white supremacists posters, councilman says - cleveland.com

White Supremacists Target Ohio In Record Year For Propaganda

Actual Nazis Canvas Cleveland With Alt-Right Propaganda Over the Weekend

All JMO. The killer could also be someone who just decided to rob and murder these two friends.

 

[mgeni]

Thanks for telling us more about Sledge. I'm so sorry for the pain and sadness his family and friends are experiencing. It was such a senseless crime. The killer is lucky that he's gotten away thus far, but hopefully he will soon be forced out of the shadows. As many have already said, these people were not high risk victims. They were innocent people killed in a low-crime area, a park where violent crime is very rare.

I also know people who have received death threats from some groups who operate close to that area.

Here are some MSM news articles about some of the groups in the area where these murders occurred

Lakewood bus stops plastered with white supremacists posters, councilman says - cleveland.com

White Supremacists Target Ohio In Record Year For Propaganda

Actual Nazis Canvas Cleveland With Alt-Right Propaganda Over the Weekend

All JMO. The killer could also be someone who just decided to rob and murder these two friends.

Thank you for sharing the links. It doesn’t surprise me, sadly. Like you said, the killer could be be anyone. Although they weren’t robbed, both had their phones, he still had his wallet, and he was still wearing an expensive watch when they were found (that info is from msm articles, probably the ones linked early on). I just hope the killer is found soon.

It all still seems unreal. The Indians made a big trade last night and I wanted to text Sledge to hear his thoughts. He was a big fan of all Cleveland sports.

Thanks again for keeping this discussion alive.

 

[doozle]

I-Team uncovers more gun crimes in Rocky River Reservation, same park with unsolved homicides

"The FOX 8 I-Team uncovered two more cases of people suddenly faced with guns in the Rocky River Reservation, the same park where two people were recently found shot to death."

 

[GoBuckeyes]

December 4, 2019, marks 6 months since 2 friends were murdered while sitting on a park bench in the Rocky River Reservation.

Families still searching for answers 6 months after murders in Rocky River Reservation

In October, the reward for information was raised to 30 thousand.

 

[groovymod]

According to local PBS station WVIZ, the reward for any information on this case has increased to $100,000.

 

[Betty P]

FBI renews call for help in solving mysterious double murder in a Cleveland Metropark

FBI is now the lead LE agency on this. Metroparks police just don't have the experience or training to properly investigate murders.

There is still a $100,000 reward.

ETA: I think this case may have suffered a little from jurisdictional issues. JMO

 

[oceanstarryeyes]

That’s a good Reward.

 

[everybodhi]

Family of woman killed in Metroparks wants signs for tips back up | wkyc.com

The crime remains unsolved and something Brown’s family doesn’t want the public to forget. So, the family recently placed new signs along the park roadway near the scene asking the public for help and reminding people of the $100,000 reward. But the Metroparks removed the signs almost immediately, telling the family the signs violated park rules on signs.

About the signs, she (Zuban) said: “We have to come out and do it again because the Metroparks is unwilling to aid us in this call for help.”

The signs were a fixture along the roadway for months after the murders. They first asked joggers, bikers and drivers if they saw anything. Later, the signs highlighted the $100,000 reward, most of it from the family.

The Metroparks removed the original signs last April.

“We all need the help of the public to reach the conclusion and that conclusion is that someone talks about it and someone spoke about it in a bar and someone bragged about it to a buddy and we need those people to come forward to break the case. That’s why we need to remember this spot and remember the people that were here – they deserve that.”
(Alex Zuban, Brown’s sister)

I’m guessing the signs scare visitors away but people should know what happened here. JMO

 

[Betty P]

Family of woman killed in Metroparks wants signs for tips back up | wkyc.com






I’m guessing the signs scare visitors away but people should know what happened here. JMO

Agree, Metroparks is wrong on this. MOO.

 

[everybodhi]

Agree, Metroparks is wrong on this. MOO.

They even removed the memorial
Reward signs, memorials removed from site of Metroparks killings

 

[Sillybilly]

Hey everyone,

We have a new member, AFoxInSocks, who will be joining this discussion shortly. They have been approved as a Verified Insider in this case, and we'll leave it up to them to share their relationship to the case, if and as they feel comfortable doing so.

As a VI, AFoxInSocks is not required to provide links to any inside information they provide about the case. It is up to members how much weight to assign to any information provided, but if you disagree with anything stated by a VI, do not argue with them or challenge them. Please just remember to treat them with respect at all times.

 

[Betty P]

Welcome and thanks for joining FoxInSocks. Please let us know how we can help.