Anthony McKibbens was 41 years old when he was killed in Atlanta on Saturday, July 28, 2007. The Atlanta Police Department investigated his death, and the Washington Post's homicide database, which tracked killings in Atlanta from 2007 through 2017, lists it as a homicide that remained open with no arrest.
Beyond his name, his age and the date of his death, almost nothing about Anthony McKibbens has been made public.
No news story about the killing, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this account. He surely had family, friends and neighbors who remember who he was, but little of that has entered the public record.
Because so little has been released, even the basic circumstances remain unknown. The record does not say how he was killed, whether he was attacked indoors or on the street, whether he knew his attacker, or whether he died at the scene or later at a hospital. It does not say whether investigators ever identified a suspect.
Anthony McKibbens's name also appears in a 2018 Washington Post investigation that listed thousands of homicide victims in major American cities whose killings had not led to an arrest. His case also appears on an online cold-case site that carries the Post's record and lists it as an active, unsolved murder in Atlanta.
His surname is uncommon, and the Post's database records it as "Mckibbens." Searches for the name turn up almost nothing beyond those listings: no obituary, death notice or social media memorial could be found. That silence is unusual for a man of 41, who would likely have had siblings, children, co-workers or a partner, and it may mean that the people who knew him best simply never wrote about him publicly.
His age also sets him apart. Most homicide victims in Atlanta in those years were teenagers and young men in their 20s. A man in his 40s was more likely to have a settled routine, a job and long-standing relationships, and people who were part of that routine may remember when it stopped.
The location recorded in the database places his death in south Atlanta, south of downtown, an area of residential streets, apartment complexes and commercial corridors. His death came on a Saturday in late July 2007, a summer weekend when neighbors were likely to be out and may remember the police response.
Atlanta, the capital of Georgia and the center of a metro area of more than 5 million people, recorded roughly 75 to 130 homicides a year between 2007 and 2017. Most victims were young men killed with guns, and many of those killings never led to an arrest. Cases with few public details often faded from view quickly.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Anthony McKibbens could be found in news archives or public records. More than 19 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who knew Anthony McKibbens, worked with him or saw him in the days before he died may be able to help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a car seen leaving the area or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call the Atlanta Police Department Homicide Unit at 404-546-4235, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta at 404-577-TIPS (404-577-8477), which may pay a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest.
