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Who killed Kate and Carnell in broad daylight — and why? CASE DETAILS  Kate and Carnell had been good friends for ten years. Carnell “Nell” Sledge is known among family and friends for his big smile, someone filled with acceptance and love for everyone. When he isn’t working with special needs kids at nearby schools, he volunteers for a non-profit organization that provides mental health care to disadvantaged children and adults in his largely black community. Kate Brown has one of those infectious laughs that makes just being around her “a good time.” And while she loves hanging out with her friends, she is obsessed with her nieces and nephews who call her “TiTi.” Kate has struggled with addiction in the past, but she’s been sober since 2017. That’s when she got on a health kick, improved her diet, and started exercising at the Rocky River Park just a mile down the road from her apartment. Kate met Nell at a club when she was 21 years old. She physically bumped into him and was surprised that he was so nice. They talked and quickly became friends. For ten years, Nell and Kate popped in and out of each other’s lives and remained close through all of life’s ups and downs. Nell always made time to see Kate — he was a gracious and generous friend who cared deeply for her.  The brash murders happened on a park bench in broad daylight. On Tuesday, June 4, 2019, Nell has plans to be at his grandmother’s home between 5:00pm and 5:30pm for a family dinner that he’s organized. As Nell leaves work around 4:30pm, he gets a text from Kate asking if he can meet up for a few minutes at the Rocky River Park — it’s important. Nell agrees and assumes it won’t take long, so he doesn’t let his family know he might be late. No one will ever know what “important” conversation Kate wanted to have with Nell. As they sit down on a park bench to chat shortly after 5:00pm, surrounded by people casually walking dogs, jogging, and riding bikes, they have no idea that someone is watching them. In just a few minutes, this unknown assailant cold-bloodedly ended their lives.  No one knows what Kate wanted to discuss with Carnell that day. At 5:18pm, a couple looking for a place to kayak pulls into the parking lot and walks the same path Nell and Kate have just taken. When they get near the creek, they’re horrified to see a man lying in the grass near a bench—he’ been shot multiple times in the head — his body is still warm. A woman is just a few feet away, face-down in the shallow creek — it looks like she was trying to run for her life. Kate and Nell have both been murdered and, apparently, nobody in the area — including a man sitting in a nearby truck — saw or heard anything unusual. Police theorize that the killer must have been lying in wait for their victims and knew the park well enough to know how to commit this crime during peak hours with cars passing by. And they also felt confident enough to get in and out of the park unnoticed. Nothing, including Nell and Kate’s phones, wallets, jewelry, laptops or cars are stolen. Law enforcement has had little to say since the initial press conference and, in fact, have been unusually tight-lipped about the case.  Kate and Carnell’s families are left hoping for answers. Baffled and frustrated, family, friends, co-workers and local reporters have pursued their own theories including a hate crime, gang initiation, and obsessed, jealous lovers. Each theory seems to have merit. Kate and Nell did appear as an interracial couple sitting in an area with gang graffiti painted on a nearby walkway, and both had recently been in romantic relationships that had gone awry. Years later, the case has stalled, and Nell and Kate’s loved ones are left desperate for answers. If you know anything about the murders of Kate and Carnell, submit a tip to Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County at 216-252-7463 or via www.25crime.com, or on unsolved.com. Unlock more content at www.netflix.com/tudum/unsolved-mysteries. |
