COLUMBUS, Ohio — A 10 Investigates report detailed just how many unsolved homicides there are around the city over the last four years. Only 52% of the more than 670 homicides since 2017 have been solved.
The majority of those deaths happened in what we call "dead zones" or "arrest deserts." This includes Hilltop, Linden and the North End.
Our investigation found that a code of silence on the streets is what's keeping these cases unsolved.
One woman knows this feeling well. Tiffany Hammons lost two brothers in the past year, one to violence and the other she has no idea how he died.
The last time Hammons' family spoke with her brother Travon Hammons was October 16. The family called to report him missing on October 21, but she said police found him on October 18.
“All they told us was, 'No trauma body found 8:30 am at a park,'” Hammons said. “His body sat at the coroners for three days before we knew anything about him. It took us calling to know that that's where he was at.”
Hammons' other brother Tejuan was shot and killed last December.
“All we know is he was shot in his back,” she said.
Answers won't bring her brothers back, but they might bring peace.
“You don't know why this happened or how it happened or when. So we just want closure, knowing what happened,” she said.
In their original report on Tejuan's death, Columbus Police said they had an 18-year-old suspect, but did not identify him due to the circumstances of the investigation. That suspect was not arrested at the time.
10TV did reach out to Columbus Police and the coroner's office for more information on these two cases and haven't heard back.