CLEVELAND — Two years after the shooting deaths of two people in the Rocky River Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks, a gathering was held this afternoon to remember the lives of Kate Brown and Carnell Sledge.
The bodies of Brown, 33, and Sledge, 40, were found by kayakers near the river north of the Lorain Road Bridge on June 4, 2019. Authorities believe Brown and Sledge arrived around 5:04 p.m. Police say they were shot between 5:08 to 5:15 p.m. while sitting on a bench. The crime remains unsolved.
Friends and family of Brown and Sledge came together Friday evening for a remembrance at the bench in the Rocky River Reservation. Single stemmed carnations were placed at the bench to memorialize the duo.
A reward of up to $100,000 is available for information that leads to the successful identification and prosecution of those responsible. The reward money is comprised of up to: $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.
In April, 3News' Mark Naymik reported that with leads gone cold as the two-year anniversary of the murders approached, the Brown family printed new signs asking for information about the crime and placed them along the road. The Metroparks immediately removed them.
The signs were a fixture along the roadway for months after the murders. They first asked joggers, bikers and drivers if they saw anything. Later, the signs highlighted the $100,000 reward, most of it from the family.
The Metroparks removed the original signs last April.
You can watch our coverage of Friday's vigil in the player below:
Previous Stories:
- One year later, murder of pair at Rocky River Reservation remains unsolved; Reward of up to $100,000 available
- Family increases reward to $100,000 to help solve Rocky River Reservation murders
- Mark Naymik Reports | Rocky River Reservation, where two people were murdered in June, now getting less police attention