LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The family of Jaquay Rodgers is still waiting for an arrest, nearly five years since the 19-year-old was found shot to death in an ally near 31st Street and River Park Drive.
Rodgers would’ve turned 24 on Friday.
“It hurts every day. Especially around holidays, birthdays,” his mother, Sherisa Rodgers said.
Rodgers was found on April 28, 2017. At the time, police said they had no suspects. Sherisa still remembers the call from officers that it was her son.
“When they called me it was like a bomb just dropped down on me. I was devastated, I said, 'Y'all got to be talking about the wrong one.'”
It’s been five years, and still, no one has been arrested or charged for his murder. He’s one of 50 homicide cases from 2017 that remains open.
“It's not just me going through it, it's a lot of us,” his mother said.
In 2017, Louisville Metro Police responded to 102 murder scenes. Detectives closed 49% of those cases. That’s below the national clearance rate, which was 61.6% in 2017, according to FBI data.
In 2021, the number of homicides nearly doubled from 2017, but the clearance rate went down. 188 people were killed, and only 35% of those cases are closed.
Sherisa said she believes police will “catch who did it,” but in the meantime, has a message to those families who know her pain.
“I just want parents to know that even though you're going through it, you gotta keep on keeping you. You can't give up. And things do come, it gets better with time.”
If you have any information about Rodgers’ murder from 2017, leave an anonymous tip by calling 574-LMPD. Any information could help detectives make an arrest.
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