In the quiet, early morning hours of February 20, 2017, a tragedy unfolded in an Ellenwood, Georgia home that claimed the life of 37-year-old Scherell Venisee. Just after midnight, police responded to a call of a home invasion and shooting on Chester Lane. Inside, they discovered a grim scene.
Venisee was found unresponsive on the floor, having sustained fatal gunshot wounds. In the garage, officers also found Dectric Searcy, who had also been shot.
Emergency responders pronounced Venisee dead at the scene, while Searcy was rushed to a local hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The couple's children were reportedly inside the home at the time of the violent intrusion.
Investigators determined that two men ambushed Searcy in his garage as he was getting out of his vehicle. When Venisee went to see what was happening, at least one of the assailants opened fire, striking both her and Searcy multiple times. Following the shooting, the two suspects fled the scene. A search of the home by Clayton County police uncovered a significant quantity of illegal drugs, leading investigators to believe the home invasion and murders were drug-related.
In the days following the double homicide, police released composite sketches of two suspects, hoping for a breakthrough in the case. One suspect was described as a Black male in his late 20s to early 30s with a thin build, a clean-shaven face, and twists in his hair that may have had red or pink tips. The second suspect was described as a Black male in his mid-20s, around 5'8' or 5'9' tall, with a low-cut hairstyle and tattoos on the side of his neck. A manhunt was launched for the two men, but as of the latest available reports, no arrests have been made in connection with the murders of Scherell Venisee and Dectric Searcy.
