NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio — A Cleveland Metroparks double murder cold case will be featured in a Netflix documentary series next week. "Unsolved Mysteries" will dive into the killings of 40-year-old Carnell "Nell" Sledge and 33-year-old Katherine “Kate” Brown, who were shot to death while sitting on a bench at Rocky River Reservation in 2019.
On Saturday, loved ones were at the park spreading awareness ahead of the Netflix premiere.
“We want to raise awareness and let people know that we're not giving up our fight for justice for Kate and Carnell," said Lauren Rao, the sister of Kate Brown.
She and others were at the bench in the Valley View Parkway pull-off lot north of the Lorain Rd. Bridge passing out yard signs, flyers, and business cards to keep interest in the case alive.
According to investigators with Cleveland Metroparks Police Department and the Cleveland Division of the FBI, it was on June 4, 2019 that the longtime friends met at Rocky River Reservation.
Sledge and Brown were shot on the bench near the river sometime between 5:08 and 5:15 p.m.
Kayakers found them about 3 minutes later.
The murders have yet to be solved.
"We don't hear much because it's an open investigation," Rao said. "It's been five years too long. We miss them dearly. It's gut wrenching to be standing here knowing that two beautiful people were taken, their lives were taken for absolutely no reason in broad daylight, 50 feet away from a very busy street in rush hour on a sunny June day. It's just you can't, you would never imagine that that could happen to one of your loved ones in a safe Cleveland suburb."
And the case will be getting global attention now. On October 2, the new season of Netflix's "Unsolved Mysteries" is going to feature the cold case of Sledge and Brown.
There's now a $100,000 reward for any information that leads to the successful identification and prosecution of those responsible. As WKYC previously reported, the reward money is comprised of $25,000 from the FBI, $5,000 from Crime Stoppers, and $70,000 from the Brown family for a total of up to $100,000.
Tips can be provided to the Cleveland Division of the FBI at (216) 622-6842, the Cleveland Metroparks Police Department at (440) 331-5219, or Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County at (216) 252-7463. Tips can remain anonymous.