In the winter of 2016, the life of Leontynae 'Nae Nae' Wade, a 37-year-old mother of four, was tragically cut short on a street in Louisville, Kentucky. On the evening of January 20th, an argument erupted near the corner of West Whitney and Peachtree Avenues. The dispute was with Corey Chapman, the father of two of her children. In a devastating turn of events, the argument escalated, and Chapman allegedly shot and killed Wade.
The horror of the moment was amplified by the presence of their two young sons, who were just two and eight years old at the time.
The aftermath left Leontynae's family engulfed in profound grief. Her father, Brian Tucker, spoke of the unbearable pain of losing his daughter, a woman he described as dedicated to her work and her children. The community shared in the family's sorrow, planning a vigil to honor her memory at the very place where her life was taken. Known to her loved ones as 'Nae Nae,' she was remembered as a caring and goofy person who worked at a local Rally's restaurant and was an avid fan of the University of Kentucky Wildcats. She was a mother to Wilneisha, Laronshana, Corey, and Cortez.
In the wake of the shooting, the Louisville Metro Police Department's Homicide Unit launched an investigation. Based on witness accounts, including an interview with Wade's eight-year-old son, authorities identified Corey Chapman as the primary suspect. A grand jury indicted the 34-year-old on charges of murder, but he remained at large for a period. Law enforcement officials entered his information into a national crime database and sought help from the public to locate him. Eventually, Chapman was apprehended by police, bringing a measure of progress to a case that had left a family and community mourning a senseless loss.
