In St. Louis, Missouri, on May 1, 2007, the body of 47-year-old Shelby Polk Jr. was discovered lying next to a fence at the Biker's Corner on North Market Street. An investigation revealed he had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the chest, which appeared to have been inflicted at close range. Despite the efforts of law enforcement, no suspects were immediately identified, and no arrests have been made in connection with his murder.
The case remains an unsolved homicide, leaving a lingering quest for justice.
The tragedy of Shelby Polk Jr.'s death was compounded by a devastating series of violent events that befell his family in the years that followed. His son, Shelby Polk III, also became a victim of gun violence. In 2015, the 35-year-old was shot, which caused him to crash his car. He did not survive his injuries. Like his father's, his murder remains unsolved. The cycle of violence continued, claiming the life of Shelby Polk Jr.'s grandson, Shelbyon Polk. The 19-year-old was found shot to death in a vacant yard in St. Louis on Thanksgiving morning in 2017.
The family's suffering did not end there. In a case that family members believe is connected, Shelbyon's grandmother, Karen Arnold, was found murdered in her Kirkwood home in December 2018. Arnold had been actively seeking information and posting on social media in an effort to find her grandson's killer. Tragically, none of the homicides involving the Polk family have been solved, and authorities continue to appeal to the public for any information that might lead to arrests and finally bring a measure of peace to their surviving loved ones.
