In the city of New Haven, Connecticut, a 42-year-old Black / African American man named Jeffery Dotson lost his life on January 10, 2021. A native of Georgia where he had played football, Dotson was a father of two who enjoyed outdoor activities like fishing, camping, and hunting, and cherished spending time with his family. His life was cut short in a violent act that left a community seeking answers.
The tragic discovery was made on a Sunday morning inside an apartment at 280 Winthrop
Avenue, located at the intersection with Chapel Street. A visiting nurse arrived at the residence and, after getting no answer at the door, went inside. There, she found Jeffery Dotson and a 50-year-old woman, Alfreda Youmans, both deceased. The New Haven Police were called to the scene around 11:30 a.m. and soon confirmed that both individuals had been fatally shot.
Investigators spent nearly a full day processing the scene at the large, wooden apartment house. The case was immediately classified as a double homicide, marking the first and second homicides of the year for the city. While police officials stated they were looking at all possibilities, they also noted that no weapon was recovered from the apartment. This detail led them to investigate the incident as a double murder, although they did not completely rule out the possibility of a murder-suicide in the early stages of the investigation.
As the investigation unfolded, police remained tight-lipped about the specific details of what transpired inside the apartment. Neighbors reported that there was often rowdiness and yelling at the residence. In the days following the discovery, authorities publicly identified Dotson and Youmans as the victims. However, no suspects have been named, and no arrests have been made in connection with the double homicide. The case remains under active investigation, and police have appealed to the public for any information that might lead to justice for Jeffery Dotson and Alfreda Youmans.
