In the early morning hours of May 30, 2020, the life of 20-year-old Mariah Desiree Strother was tragically cut short in Evansville, Indiana. A vibrant young woman known for a personality that could brighten anyone's day, she was leaving a gas station with friends when gunfire erupted at approximately 3:57 a.m. In the chaotic moments that followed, Mariah was fatally struck by a bullet and was found deceased in her car at the scene on the 1600 block of South Kentucky Avenue.
Another young person, 20-year-old Keijuan Baker, also lost his life in the shooting after being transported to the hospital, while a third individual sustained injuries but survived.
The senseless act of violence that claimed two young lives is believed to have been a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, as investigators stated that neither Mariah nor Keijuan were the intended targets of the shooters. In the wake of the tragedy, the community and the victims' families were left reeling with grief and searching for answers. The investigation into the double homicide was met with challenges, and despite the efforts of the Evansville Police Department, the case grew cold. As months turned into years, no arrests were made, and the suspects responsible for the deaths of Mariah and Keijuan remained at large.
The Strother family has continued to publicly plea for justice for Mariah, holding balloon releases and vigils to keep her memory alive and to urge anyone with information to come forward. A significant reward of $25,000 has been offered for information that could lead to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for this senseless act of gun violence. Despite the passage of time, her family holds onto hope that justice will one day be served, remembering Mariah as a beautiful soul with a contagious laugh who had so much more life to live. The case remains one of several unsolved homicides in Evansville from that year, a painful reminder of a community grappling with the devastating impact of gun violence.
