LOUISVILLE, Ky. — More than 150,000 people descended upon Churchill Downs on May 4, 2019. However, 15 hours earlier, just nine miles away from the epicenter of Louisville's busiest day, 49-year-old James Roth was murdered.
Roth was walking down the 6600 block of Sylvania Rd in the Pleasure Ridge Park neighborhood around 3 a.m.
This would be the last time anyone saw him alive.
Roth was found in a wooded area of the residential neighborhood and later rushed to U of L hospital, where he was dead on arrival.
His killer is still unknown.
David Yates, the head of the Kentuckiana Crime Stoppers, believes that Roth was gunned down by someone in a car driving by.
"About 3 a.m. in the morning, someone drove by and they shot him as he walked down the roadway," Yates said. "The hope is that someone at least heard something or saw what the car looked like. This is a pretty residential area, then again it was three in the morning and I'm sure most folks were asleep."
It has been nearly six months since that night and Roth's family is still seeking answers.
"Please help answer the lingering questions, if you know something call Crime Stoppers and help your community be better," Roth's sister Julie said.
Along with the family's pursuit of answers, they recount how the loss has affected not only them, but the community as a whole.
"When something is done to a person, you not only hurt the family, or the area that you live in, but it is the whole entire city that suffers, because we are connected whether you like it or not," Roth's sister Julia said.
His family describes him as a hard worker with a love for making those around him smile. Roth's craft was drywall installation.
"If you asked me to describe his work, he was an artist because you couldn't find the seams," Roth's sister Julia said.
Above all, Jim Roth was a loving family man.
"This shooting tears a hole in the fabric of this family," Roth's sister Julie said in a letter. "I don't really remember life without him, even though I'm the oldest, so it's hard to think of our family without him."
If you have a tip about what happened to James Roth, call Crime Stoppers' 24/7 phone line at 582-CLUE.
The WHAS11 Crime Stoppers series continues Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 11 p.m.
RELATED: Crime Stoppers: Derby Day Murder
RELATED: 'You are the eyes and ears of the community': Crime Stoppers relies on tips to solve cold cases
Contact reporter Heather Fountaine at hfountaine@whas11.com and follow her on Twitter (@WHAS11Heather) and Facebook.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.