In the early morning hours of October 16, 2020, the life of 23-year-old Cyhneil Smith was tragically cut short in Washington, D.C.. A Black female, Smith was discovered inside a vehicle in the 300 block of 37th Street SE, near Fort Dupont Park, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Responding to the sound of gunshots at approximately 3:19 a.m., police and emergency medical services arrived to find Smith with no signs of life.
Cyhneil's death was a devastating echo of a previous
family tragedy. Just two years earlier, in May 2018, her 23-year-old sister, Mecca India Tyshea Gravette, was also found shot to death in a car just a few miles away. Smith, a young mother, had been profiled by The Washington Post in 2018, which highlighted her resilience and determination to build a better future for her infant son despite facing immense hardship, including the loss of a stillborn child and her sister's murder. She had graduated from a vocational school with aspirations of working in the hotel industry.
The Metropolitan Police Department launched a homicide investigation into Cyhneil Smith's death, offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible. However, authorities have not publicly identified any suspects or made any arrests in connection with her murder. The case, much like her sister's, remains unsolved, leaving a family to grapple with two profound and unanswered losses. Police have stated there is no indication that the two sisters' killings are related.
