Kenya Davis

Kenya Javan Davis was a beloved mother, daughter, and friend, known for her giving spirit and a heart of gold. The 42-year-old Black woman was her mother's firstborn and the glue that held her family together. Friends and family remembered her as a hardworking, caring, and loving person who saw the good in everyone. A proud graduate of Andrew Jackson High School, she maintained strong bonds with her alumni group, who considered her a sister. On December 28, 2015, just six days before her death, she celebrated her birthday with loved ones. Kenya had two sons and dedicated her life to bringing joy to her family.

In the late hours of Sunday, January 3, 2016, Kenya was in her ground-floor apartment at the Ortega Pines Apartments on Ortega Farms Boulevard in Jacksonville, Florida, preparing for work the next day. Her 7-year-old son and her boyfriend were also in the home. Around 10:30 or 11 p.m., a spray of bullets was fired from outside, tearing through the windows and walls of her apartment. Kenya was struck multiple times and died at the scene. Her boyfriend was also hit by a bullet but sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Miraculously, her young son, who was in his own bedroom that night, was physically unharmed.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to multiple calls reporting gunshots. Arriving officers found a chaotic scene. Bullet holes riddled the apartment's exterior, shattering at least one window. Investigators found numerous evidence markers scattered across the parking lot and grass outside, indicating where shell casings landed. A crime and safety analyst noted that the shooter or shooters were likely moving as they fired, possibly in a drive-by or running past the building, and had specifically targeted Kenya's apartment. One neighbor told a reporter she saw the man who lived with Kenya arguing with a man with dreadlocks shortly before the shooting and then saw the man with dreadlocks run past her window right after.

The investigation into Kenya's murder, the fourth homicide in Jacksonville just days into the new year, began immediately. Detectives and crime scene investigators worked for nearly 20 hours at the apartment, collecting fingerprints and other evidence to piece together what happened. The Florida Department of Children and Families confirmed that Kenya's son was safe and being cared for by relatives. Despite the evidence and witness accounts, the case quickly grew cold.

In the months following the killing, Kenya's family was left without answers or closure. Her mother, Dorothy Davis, described the indescribable pain of losing her firstborn child. "My baby was home in her bed getting ready for work, and someone came up to her window and shot her multiple times," she said. "I try to get some peace with it, and I can’t. I can’t until we get some justice." Both of Kenya's parents, Dorothy and Jack, made public pleas for anyone with information to come forward and help them solve their daughter's murder.

On April 21, 2016, nearly four months after her death, family and friends gathered for a candlelight vigil near the apartment complex on Catoma Street. Joined by the anti-crime group M.A.D. D.A.D.S., they lit candles and shared memories, hoping to keep Kenya's story alive and encourage someone to break the code of silence. "Kenya had a heart of gold. She never met a stranger," her mother said at the vigil. "She saw the good in everybody."

As of April 2016, no arrests had been made in the murder of Kenya Davis, and police had not publicly identified any suspects. The family continues to hope for a breakthrough that will bring them justice. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.