NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The new year marks a new opportunity to solve unsolved homicides.
As of publication, the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) has more than 500 unsolved homicide cases that date back to the 1960s. Many of those families are hoping for breaks in their loved one’s cases.
Amber Posey belongs to one of those families. Her 17-year-old daughter, Ashanti Posey, was headed to college on a basketball scholarship when someone opened fire on her car in April 2020, fatally shooting her. There has been no arrest in her case.
“It’s another round of holidays — another time that everybody will come together and that one person is missing that is supposed to be here,” Amber said.
The year 2024 saw a total of 104 homicides in Nashville. Each scene, each person and each crime led the MNPD on the hunt for at least one suspect.
“She overcame so much — to die by a bullet,” Amber said. “[That] is the part that we deal with the most [and it’s] the hardest.”
This year not only brought a wave of death and sadness, but it also brought a glimpse of hope for the loved ones of those with unsolved homicides after the MNPD launched a new website. In a press release, the MNPD said that the website was launched after “many months of development” and features investigations that span decades.
Ashanti Posey’s is one of those investigations. Amber told News 2 it’s not easy, but she has a village to support her through her worst days.
“I have my good days [and] I have my bad days, but I have a whole community — an entire village that is standing beside me and supporting me,” Amber said.
Amber told News 2 it’s disheartening to know how many other families are touched by loss.
“Every day, we relive April the 9th because every day, another child is losing their life to gun violence in Davidson County,” Amber said.
Sergeant Robert Nielson with the MNPD’s Cold Case Unit said the department is working to provide answers for all families affected by homicide.
“[We work] to give the family that answer,” Nielson said.
