A couple is gunned down in their apartment In the late hours of September 12, 2011, a tragedy unfolded in an apartment near 20th and Ames in Omaha, Nebraska, forever altering the lives of two families. On that day, 29-year-old Carl Reed, an African-American male, and his girlfriend, 28-year-old Jamila "Tweety" Hesseltine, were found dead in their home. The couple had been together for about six months before their lives were violently cut short.
The grim discovery was made by Hesseltine's two young sons, who found their mother and Reed deceased.
The Omaha Police Department quickly determined that the couple had been the victims of a double homicide, having been "gunned down execution style." Investigators believe the act was not random and that the killer or killers likely knew the victims. Despite this belief, a clear motive for the brutal crime has never been publicly established. One theory that has been considered by family members is that Reed may have been the intended target due to a past criminal record, and that Hesseltine was tragically "collateral damage." Reed's mother has stated that his knuckles were torn up, indicating he may have fought for his life.
As the years have passed, the case has grown cold, leaving the families of Carl Reed and Jamila Hesseltine in a state of prolonged grief and uncertainty. No arrests have ever been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified in connection with the double murder. In 2021, on the 10-year anniversary of the killings, family members made a public plea for any information that could lead to a breakthrough in the case. A reward of $25,000 has been offered by Crime Stoppers for any information that leads to an arrest, but justice for Carl Reed and Jamila Hesseltine remains elusive. The case is still an active investigation within the Omaha Police Department's cold case unit.
