A mother and her young child were killed inside their southwest Baltimore home last summer, and the case remains open.
It happened last May when Jennifer Jeffrey-Browne, 31, and Kester Browne were left dead. Kester Browne, 7, was learning to speak Mandarin when he was killed, and was going to take a trip to China to continue his learning.
The murders shocked the entire city, and left even veteran detectives struggling to find words.
"I went upstairs as I entered the scene and I spoke with two veteran homicide detectives," said Baltimore Police spokesman Lt. Jarron Jackson. "The three of us looked at each other and literally said nothing."
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It happened during the bloodiest summer seen in the city in decades as police responded to the 100 block of Upmanor Rd. Responders found a grisly scene, and the bodies. Jeffrey-Browne and her son, Kester, were both shot in the head.
What sticks with Jackson all this time later is the innocence stolen by the killer.
"(Kester) was still laying there in his little pajamas," Jackson said. "It takes a special type of monster to kill a child."
In the year since, little on the street has changed. As time has moved forward, neighbors Thursday said a new family occupies the home. Some were frustrated, though, that the case has remained unsolved.
"We don't have the authority to give life, so i don't think we have the authority to take life," said the Rev. Oakley Boone, who lives nearby.
Despite a year of disappointment and few promising leads toward making an arrest, Boone shares immense optimism it will happen.
"Somebody, somewhere sees something, and if we could get to the point where -- they say it's 'snitching,' but until it comes to your house, it's really not snitching," Boone said.
"I don't need your name, but I do need the information that you have. Who you are is not important . Catching the person who did this is what's important," said Jackson.
Police have a number set up to text in your tips: 443-902-4824.
You can also call detectives directly at police headquarters, or call Metro Crimestoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
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