Do you know who murdered Autry Church?
On the afternoon of November 2, 1988, a burst of gunfire shattered the relative quiet at the intersection of Cleveland Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Virginia Beach, Virginia. When police responded to the scene at approximately 5:15 p.m., they discovered 50-year-old Autry Church inside his black Pontiac Fiero, suffering from a gunshot wound. Despite the arrival of rescue personnel and their life-saving efforts, Church, a white male who worked in retail sales, succumbed to his injuries.
Investigators determined that Church was seated in the driver's seat of his vehicle when he was shot. The case was quickly ruled a homicide by the medical examiner's office. At the time of the incident, Church was described as being 5' 8' tall, weighing 175 pounds, with blue eyes and collar-length black hair. The motive for the shooting was not immediately clear, and the case has remained an active investigation for decades.
Witnesses at the scene provided a description of a person of interest seen near Church's car around the time the gunshots were heard. They described a white male, approximately 5'9' tall with a medium build and dark hair, who was wearing white pants. However, no arrests have ever been made in the case, and the identity of the individual seen near the vehicle remains unknown. The Virginia Beach Police Department continues to list the death of Autry Church as an active cold case homicide, leaving his family and community without answers for over three decades.
