Desiree Shante Fletcher, a 21-year-old Black female, was found shot to death on May 10, 2018, in an alley in Richmond, Virginia. The discovery was made by police who were responding to a call about a 'person down' just before 10:15 p.m. along Peter Paul Boulevard. Fletcher had sustained multiple gunshot wounds, including one to her head, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
At the time of her death, she was living with her cousin just blocks away from where her body was found.
In the years following the young mother's death, no arrests have been made, and the case has grown cold. Investigators did identify a person of interest early in the investigation. On the evening of her death, Fletcher's boyfriend had reportedly taken her phone and used it to send her a text message asking her to meet him. She left to meet him and was never seen alive again. The day after her body was discovered, her boyfriend claimed that he had been abducted and was found tied up in the trunk of a car. However, police later discredited his story.
Despite these early leads, the investigation has stalled, leaving Fletcher's family, including her mother, Sarah Coles, without closure. Coles has publicly expressed her grief and her desperate hope that someone will come forward with information that could lead to an arrest. The Richmond Police Department continues to investigate the case, urging anyone with information to contact them. The community has mourned the loss of Fletcher, who was also a mother to a daughter who predeceased her.
