Fire Investigators respond to a scene only to find the victim had been shot first
In the early morning hours of January 27, 2016, a fire engulfed a residential trailer on Occohannock Neck Road in Exmore, Virginia. First responders arrived at the scene to find the home of 70-year-old Shirley M. Onley, a Black or African American female, completely destroyed by the flames. Inside the charred remains of her home, investigators discovered Onley's body.
Initially treated as a fatal fire, the case took a grim turn following an autopsy at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Norfolk. The examination revealed a shocking truth: Shirley Onley had been shot. The cause of her death was determined to be a homicide, prompting the Virginia State Police to launch a full-scale criminal investigation. Evidence recovered from the scene included a cartridge case found within the fire debris, and the autopsy uncovered two bullets inside the victim, one in her neck and another in her skull.
Despite the clear evidence of a violent death, the investigation into who killed Shirley Onley has stretched on for years without a resolution. The case is now considered a cold case, and authorities have continued to ask for the public's help in bringing the person or persons responsible to justice. To date, no arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified in connection with the murder. The case of Shirley M. Onley remains an active and unsolved homicide, a lingering mystery on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
