FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio — Eight months after Katherine Brown and Carnell Sledge were murdered in the Cleveland Metroparks Rocky River Reservation, their families are still seeking answers.
A reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in their murders was increased to $100,000 Wednesday. On Thursday, Brown's mother spoke about her need for the truth.
"We're hoping this amount of money will bring someone forward. Someone has information. Somebody knows possibly who did it, possibly has information, period," she said.
Brown's mother also emphasized that anyone providing a tip can remain strictly anonymous.
"We want the public to continue to realize that the killer, or killers, is still out there," she added.
Brown and Sledge were killed June 4 near the river north of the Lorain Road Bridge. Both were shot in the head.
The two arrived to the park in separate vehicles, parking in the lot north of the bridge around 5:04 p.m. The pair, who police say were longtime friends, sat on a park bench by the river for a short time before they were shot sometime between 5:08 to 5:15 p.m.
The kayakers who found them arrived about three minutes later.
Sledge's family members spoke Wednesday when the reward increase was announced. Previously, the reward was $30,000.
“We wake up every day, not only ridden with grief, but constantly questioning how and why two wonderful people had been gunned down," Brown's sister said. "Our family has pledged to keep Kate and ‘Nell’s story alive until the person or persons responsible are brought to justice.”