Do you know who murdered Ajuania? On a tragic December morning in 1993, the life of 18-year-old Ajuania 'Yonnie' Renee Woodley was brutally cut short in her Tulsa, Oklahoma home. A recent graduate of Washington High School, Ajuania was embracing her newfound independence, sharing a home with her older sister and saving money for college. She was known for her bright spirit and dedication, both to her job at the Turley Warehouse Market and her faith as a Jehovah's Witness.
The evening before her death, she had visited her grandmother, Anice Alexander, who had raised her, to pick up some coupons, a simple errand that gave no hint of the violence to come.
The last time anyone saw Ajuania alive was at 12:15 a.m. on December 5th, when she left her boyfriend's house to return to the home she shared with her sister at 1503 E. 51st Street North. Her sister was staying at her own boyfriend's house that night, leaving Ajuania alone in the residence. When she failed to show up for work later that day, a behavior entirely out of character for the responsible young woman, her grandmother grew worried. Anice went to the house to check on her, finding the door closed but unlocked. Inside, she made a devastating discovery: Ajuania was lying on the living room floor, the victim of a violent stabbing.
The investigation that followed revealed the grim details of her final moments. Ajuania had sustained multiple stab wounds to her neck and chest, and evidence suggested that she had fought fiercely against her attacker. Despite a thorough investigation into the homicide, no arrests were ever made, and no suspects have been publicly identified. The case grew cold over the years, leaving a permanent void in the lives of her loved ones and a lingering question of who was responsible for the death of a young woman on the cusp of her future. Ajuania Woodley's murder remains an unsolved tragedy, a cold case in the files of the Tulsa Police Department, with her killer or killers having never been brought to justice.
