Federal, local officials offer $50,000 in rewards for info in killings of 8 Memphis kids

After months of repeated pleas to the public for help, $50,000 in reward money is being placed on the table for any information leading to an arrest in eight ongoing murder investigations.

The youngest of the victims, 9-month-old Hilda Trejo, died from "inflicted trauma" in a Colonial Acres area home. The oldest victims, both 17-years-old, were killed as they walked along Memphis roadways.

Shelby County Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich, Memphis Police Department director Michael Rallings, and U.S. Marshal Tyreece Miller gathered in a Memphis library Thursday to live stream the announcement, all striking a tone of exasperation after months of alarming homicides rates.

"It’s tragic that Memphians have not come forward to provide critical information needed," Rallings said, echoing calls for outrage and action he's made to the public several times in his role as director of MPD.

The reward money offered by the U.S. Marshals Service comes directly from the organization's asset forfeiture program, with up to $5,000 offered for credible information leading to an arrest per homicide.

U.S.Marshal Tyreece Miller explained the funding was the marshal services' attempt to "think outside the box".

"I’m a West Tennessee native," Miller explained. "We are all from West Tennessee. This is our community. I felt like I had to do something to try and help this city. 

As we’ve started to get creative, I wanted think outside the box and use these funds to help solve these homicides. 

MEMPHIS HOMICIDES:A look inside the record 2020 numbers

The list of ongoing investigations eligible for the reward funding follows:

• Hilda Trejo, a 9-month-old infant, died from inflicted trauma on Jan. 22 at a home in the 4600 block of Willow Road.
• Ashlynn Luckett, a 6-year-old girl, was killed in a Hickory Hill home alongside her uncle, 16-year-old LeQuan Boyd. Both were killed after an unknown assailant fired into the house.
• Jadon Knox, 10, was killed as he stood on the front porch of a house in the Orange Mound area in early January. At the time, police said it was likely a drive-by shooting.
• Tyrell Jones, 15, was shot and killed while he was in the passenger seat of a car. The early May homicide occurred in the Sherwood Forest area.
• Alajah Reynolds, 16, was found shot to death in a car on July 11 in East Memphis.
• Jalen Dodge, 17, was shot in the roadway in mid-March along the 1600 block of Sunset Street. 
• Demetrius Robinson, 17, was shot on Sept. 3 while walking along Elvis Presley Boulevard.

The rate of homicides in Memphis during 2020 has been historic, with more than 240 homicides occurring with two months to go in the year; included in that tally are 25 victims under the age of 18. A few of those deaths have been ruled as justified homicides.

The frequency with which children have been killed in Memphis has prompted Rallings and other public officials to make direct appeals to the populous for tips and information.

Still, many of these killings have gone unsolved.

Data obtained by The Commercial Appeal from MPD shows an empty column under "suspect" in eleven murders of children and teens, including the deaths of three children that occurred within the first weeks of 2020.

Weirich has also made appeals to the public related to the rate of juvenile homicides, but the county prosecutor's statements have focused on stronger intervention from juvenile court in order to interrupt patterns of criminal conduct — before they are killed in commission of a crime. 

MEMPHIS NEWS:Memphis, Shelby County see violent crime surge in first three quarters of 2020

FROM JULY:The homicides of eight Memphis children remain unsolved. Leaders beg public for help