Latest / Murder Files Unsealed / The latest updates on Carnell Sledge and Kate Brown's murders

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The latest updates on Carnell Sledge and Kate Brown's murders · Murder Files Unsealed

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Speaker 1: Hey everyone. You guys know I'm a huge true crime fan, right,
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especially unsolved mysteries, and one case that's really stuck with
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me is the one we're diving into today, the murders
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of Carnell Nell Sledge, and Kate Brown. What makes it
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so chilling is that it happened in broad daylight in
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a park, no less, the place you'd think would be safe.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, you'd think so, right. What striking is how this
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case really highlights how fragile our sense of security can be.
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It's like it shatters the illusion that these things only
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happen in dark alleys or under the cover of night.
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Speaker 1: Absolutely, and the fact that it's been five years with
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a one hundred thousand dollars reward and still no answers
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is just mind boggling. So it's June fourth, twenty nineteen
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in Cleveland, Ohio. Nell and Kate are found shot to
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death on a park bench in Rocky River Reservation. I've
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been going through all the articles and news reports you
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sent me, plus your notes on the Unsolved Mysteries episode,
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and honestly, the more I dig into this case, the
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more questions I have.
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Speaker 2: It's a real head scratcher, for sure. But let's back
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up a bit and try to visualize the scene. So
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picture this Rocky River reservation. It's a big park, you know,
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lots of greenery, supposed to be peaceful. But here's the thing.
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It's right next to a busy highway, so there's constant
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activity around. You'd think someone would seen something.
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Speaker 1: Right, You'd think with all those people around, there'd be
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at least one witness. But from what I've read, the
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police reports say there were no direct witnesses to the
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crime itself, and the bench where they were found wasn't
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even in some secluded spot, it was relatively open. Both
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shot from behind, Nell first than Kate. And get this,
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their belongings were left untouched. Time of death between five
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point eight and five point two two pm, a fourteen
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minute window. So robbery seems pretty unlikely, right.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, this is a huge red flag. No witnesses, no robbery.
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It points to something planned and a very specific.
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Speaker 1: Motive, which begs the question why, what on earth could
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have led to this? To even begin to answer that,
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I guess we need to figure out who Nell and
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Kate were exactly.
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Speaker 2: We need to understand who they were, what their lives
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were like, what we know is that they were friends
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who had planned to meet at the park that day.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, the articles don't give us a toime a background
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on them, but you get the impression that they were young,
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maybe in their twenties, just starting to figure things out.
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One thing that stood out to me, though, was something
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Kate's sister mentioned in the Unsolved Mysteries episode. She said
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that Nell might have been planning to tell Kate that
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she had deeper feelings for her. That adds a whole
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other layer to this, doesn't it.
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Speaker 2: Definitely? If true, it brings in a potential emotional element.
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I wonder if the police looked into whether anyone in
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their social circles might have had issues with their friendship
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or with Nell's potential feelings for Kate.
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Speaker 1: Good question. I know. One of the first people they
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looked into was a roofer. He was working in the
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area that day and told police he saw Nell and
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Kate on the bench, but claimed he didn't notice anything unusual.
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Speaker 2: That's where things get tricky, you know. You got to
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consider the psychology of witnesses. Imagine you're focused on your job, right,
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you might see two people, but you wouldn't necessarily be
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analyzing their every move. Yeah, and after something traumatic happens,
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our memories can be unreliable.
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Speaker 1: I get that, but what in a double hunide, especially
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ones so close by, trigger some kind of strong memory.
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Speaker 2: Not always, our brains filter out tons of information we
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deem unimportant at the time. It's possible the rufer just
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didn't register anything as unusual or threatening in that moment.
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Of course, the police still had to investigate him thoroughly.
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Speaker 1: And did his story check out.
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Speaker 2: They were able to confirm his alibi for the time
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of the murders. He was working at a different job site,
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so he was cleared as a suspect. But it's understandable
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why he initially raised some eyebrows.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, being that close to something so horrific and not
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remembering anything seems strange. So if it wasn't him, what
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else did the investigators look into. I read something about
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a possible hate crime being considered.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's something that often comes up in cases where
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the victims are of different races. Nell was black and
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Kate was white, so there was speculation about a racially
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motivated crime, and some whispers about potential gang involvement too,
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but both of those were ultimately ruled out by the investigators.
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Speaker 1: What made them dismiss those things?
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Speaker 2: Well, with hate crimes, you typically find some evidence of
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bias at the scene, like specific graffiti or language, but
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there's nothing like that here. And gang violence tends to
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be more targeted, you know, rivalries, turf wars, that kind
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of thing. Attacking random people in a park didn't really
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fit the usual pattern.
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Speaker 1: Okay, so not random violence, not the roofer, not a
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hate crime, not gang related. That really narrows things down.
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The investigators must have been feeling the pressure to find
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some leads.
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Speaker 2: Oh absolutely. They had a puzzle with some major pieces
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missing and time was ticking. But that's where good detective
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work comes in. They had to dig deeper into the
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victims' lives their relationships see if anything stood out. And
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that's where things get really interesting.
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Speaker 1: I need to say that, all right, I'm hucked. What
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did they uncover? So who did they start looking at.
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Speaker 2: One of the first people they focused on was Nell's
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ex girlfriend, Melissa. She had a concealed carry permit, which
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you know, immediately raised a red flag.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, I can see why that would be a concern.
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Makes you wonder if it was a crime of passion.
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Did Alyssa have an alibi.
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Speaker 2: Though she did. Alissa was fully cooperative, gave a solid
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alibi that put her at work during the murders, even
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let the police test her gun, which wasn't a match.
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Speaker 1: I remember seeing her on the Unsolved Mysteries episode. She
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seemed genuinely devastated by Nell's death. What was her take
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on the case.
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Speaker 2: Alyssa was convinced that Nell would never hurt anyone, described
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her as kind and gentle. She believed whoever killed Nell
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and Kate must known. Kate personally thought maybe Nell was
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just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
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Speaker 1: That's a heartbreaking thought, one of them possibly being collateral damaged.
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Did they find anything in Kate's life to support that
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anyone she knew who might have wanted to harm her.
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Speaker 2: Kate's sister really helped piece together details about Kate's life,
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shared some entries from Kate's journals, talked about how Kate
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had recently started using Tinder and had gone on a
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few dates.
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Speaker 1: Oh, so they started digging into her Tinder matches. Any
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red flags there well, One date.
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Speaker 2: In particular stood out. Kate had told her sister she
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felt uneasy about this guy and later found out he'd
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been involved in a fatal incident like ten years before.
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Speaker 1: Wow, that's chilling. I can't imagine finding that out about
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someone you went on a date with. Definitely paints a
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picture of a troubled past. Did they investigate him, Oh?
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Speaker 2: Absolutely, They tracked him down, and like the Roofer, they
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were able to confirm his alibi for the time of
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the murders.
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Speaker 1: So another dead end. Two seemingly strong leads, both with alibis.
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It's like hitting a wall every time they make progress.
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You mentioned Kate's sister went through her things. Did they
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find anything else about Kate's personal life that might be relevant?
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Speaker 2: There was one other detail that came up. Kate had
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an ex boyfriend who was known to be abusive. They'd
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broken up a few years before the murders, but her
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family revealed that they'd continued to see each other secretly.
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Speaker 1: H that's never a good sign. Is he considered a suspect?
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Speaker 2: Oh yeah, they looked into him for sure, and they
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found out that Kate and her ex had actually spent
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time together the night before she was killed, So, you know,
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raised the possibility that they'd had a fight. Maybe he
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followed her to the park the next time.
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Speaker 1: That would fit with the theory that Kate was the
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target and Nell was just caught in the crossfire. But
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if he was with her the night before, did he
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have an alibi for the actual murders.
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Speaker 2: He did, claimed he was at a barber shop during
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the time of the murders. The police checked it out
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and cleared him.
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Speaker 1: So we have a roofer working nearby, the ex girlfriend
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with the concealed carry permit, the tinder day with the
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shady past, and the abusive ex boyfriend, all initially suspicious
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and all eventually cleared. It's like every lead dries up.
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Speaker 2: Exactly and that brings us to five years later. Despite
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the reward, the case went cold. It's understandable that the
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families were losing hope.
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Speaker 1: I can't even imagine the pain and frustration they must felt,
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so many unanswered questions. But then the Unsolved Mysteries episode
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airs and it sounds like there's been some movement in
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the case.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, there's a glimmer of hope. Earlier this year, the
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Cleveland Metro Parks Police Chief Kelly Stillman announced a new
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push in the investigation. He didn't say exactly what that meant,
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but emphasized they were committed to get national attention on
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the case.
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Speaker 1: Well, the Unsolved Mysteries episode definitely did that. Do you
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think that's what he was thinking at hoping the episode
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would generate new leads or encourage witnesses to come forward.
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Speaker 2: Possibly the timing seems to line up, and they had
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the families, the investigators, even Alyssa on the episode. Maybe
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it'll jog someone's memory or make someone with information decide
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to finally speak up.
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Speaker 1: I really hope. So it's got to be incredibly frustrating
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for the families to have so many unanswered questions. Why
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were Nell and Kate killed? Who was the real target?
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Was it random or something more personal?
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Speaker 2: Those are the questions that haunt everyone involved, and that's
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what makes this case so captivating. We have a puzzle
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with missing pieces and no clear picture of what really
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happened that day.
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Speaker 1: It keeps coming back to me, what if someone out
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there knows something but hasn't said anything. Maybe they're scared
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or feel guilty, or maybe they just don't realize how
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important their information could be.
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Speaker 2: It's definitely a possibility. Sometimes people hold onto things for years,
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even decades, before they come forward. Something they thought was
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insignificant at the time could be the key the investigators need.
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Speaker 1: That's a good point, So to everyone listening, think back
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to everything we've talked about today. What details stood out
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to you. What theories or possibilities are you thinking about.
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Speaker 2: Let's put on our detective hats. If you were working
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on this case, what would you do next? Who would
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you want to interview again? What evidence would you take
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another look at.
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Speaker 1: It's crazy to think that even after five years, there
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might be something overlooked, some clue hidden in plain sight,
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that could solve this.
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Speaker 2: And that's what keeps these cases so fascinating. They remind
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us that truth can be elusive, that sometimes the answers
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are more complex than we think, and that even in
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seemingly safe places, the unthinkable can happen.
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Speaker 1: You're right. This case shows how important it is to
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be aware of our surroundings, to trust our instincts. But
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it also highlights the strength of the human spirit, the
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determination of these families to find justice, and the power
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of working together to find the truth.
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Speaker 2: And that brings us to you, our listener. You might
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hold a piece of the puzzle without even knowing it.
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What if a detail you remember about that day a car,
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you saw someone who seemed out of place, a conversation
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you overheard. What if that's the missing link that breaks
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the case wide open.
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Speaker 1: It's a sobering thought, but also a powerful reminder that
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we can all play a role in seeking justice. If
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anything we've talked about today triggers a memory, or if
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you have any information about this case, no matter how small,
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please contact the authorities.
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Speaker 2: You can call the Cuyahoga County tip Line at two
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one six two five two seven four sixty three, or
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submit a tip online at www dot twenty five, crime
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dot com or unsolved dot com.
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Speaker 1: Your call or tip could be what brings closure to
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Nell and Kate's families and finally brings their killer to justice. Remember,
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sometimes the truth is closer than we think, just waiting
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for someone to connect the dots.
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Speaker 2: So stay sharp and stay involved. You never know you
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might be the one to crack the case.
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Speaker 1: Until next time. Stay curious, stay informed, and keep your
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eyes and ears open. You never know what you might uncover.
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You know, it's wild, isn't it. We go through all
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these details, all these potential suspects, and we're still left
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with this giant question mark.
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Speaker 2: Right, It's like we're missing that crucial piece of the puzzle.
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We've talked about witnesses, possible hate crime or gang involvement,
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people from both Nell and Kate's past, but we keep
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coming back to the same question, what was the motive.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's like trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle without
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the picture on the box. We have all these pieces
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but no idea what the final image is supposed to.
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Speaker 2: Be exactly, and without a clear motive, it's so much
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harder to narrow things down. Was it a crime of passion,
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mistaken identity, or something completely different?
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Speaker 1: So if you were in charge of this investigation, where
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would you go from here? What would be your next steps?
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Speaker 2: Well, I think it's always good to go back to basics,
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revisit the crime scene, re examine the evidence, really scrutinize
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those witness statements. Sometimes the tiniest detail can hold the
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key to the whole thing.
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Speaker 1: Like what, give me an example.
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Speaker 2: We'll take the fact that Nell shot first. Does that
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mean he was the intended target all along? Was Kate
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just in the wrong place at the wrong time, or
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was it more about opportunity the perpetrator just acting on
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impulse in the moment.
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Speaker 1: That's a good point. It really changes how you view
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the whole crime. And what about the location. This happened
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in a public park near a busy highway. There had
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to have been other people around, even if they didn't
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witness the shooting itself.
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Speaker 2: Right, think about it. Someone could have been walking their dog,
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jogging through the park, driving by, and maybe they saw
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something that seems off at the time, but didn't connect
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it to the murders until later, a car parked strangely,
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someone acting suspicious, anything like that.
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Speaker 1: Oh and remember what Kate's sister said about Nell maybe
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having feelings for Kate. Did the investigators ever really look
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into that angle? Was there anyone who might have had
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a problem with their relationship?
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Speaker 2: You know, it's definitely something worth exploring. Jealousy and possessiveness
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can be powerful motives. Sometimes the truth is buried in
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the complexities of relationships.
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Speaker 1: It feels like this case is just a tangled web.
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Ver rethread you pull leads to another question, another possibility.
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Speaker 2: It really makes you think about how difficult it is
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to truly understand what drives someone to commit a crime,
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the darkness that can hide in seemingly ordinary.
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Speaker 1: People, and how crucial it is to stay open minded,
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don't dismiss any detail as irrelevant, and constantly question your assumptions.
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Speaker 2: Absolutely, it's like that puzzle analogy again. You have to
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keep trying different combinations, shifting your perspective until something clicks.
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Speaker 1: And sometimes the missing pieces and even in the box,
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it's out there somewhere waiting for someone to come forward
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with that vital piece of information exactly which brings us
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back to our listeners. You've heard the details, you've considered
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the possibilities, you've put on your detective hats. Now we're
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asking you to take it a step further. If anything
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we've discussed today triggers a memory, no matter how small,
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please contact the authorities.
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Speaker 2: That's right, even if you think it's insignificant. It could
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be the missing link, h a specific car, a person
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you saw, a snippet of conversation, anything at all.
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Speaker 1: You can call the Cuahoga County tip line at two
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one six two five two seven four sixty three, or
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submit a tip online at www dot two five, crime
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dot com or unsolved dot com. Don't underestimate the power
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of even the smallest detail. You could hold the key
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to solving this case.
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Speaker 2: And that's what makes these deep dives so important. It
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reminds us that we're all connected, that we can all
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play a role in finding justice, and that sometimes the
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answers we're looking for are closer than we think.
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Speaker 1: So keep those eyes and ears open, stay curious, and
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never stop searching for the truth until next time. Everyone
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stays safe, and keep this detective mind sharp.