The latest updates on Carnell Sledge and Kate Brown's murders: Unsolved Mysteries and more

Netflix's popular docuseries Unsolved Mysteries has returned with its fifth volume just in time for the Halloween season, and these four episodes are certainly chilling. As the name indicates, the investigations and mysteries explored throughout the show are not solved, meaning we're still left with so many questions after watching. This is no exception with the case covered in the premiere of volume 5, "Park Bench Murders." The episode follows a double murder in Cleveland Ohio which has yet to be solved.

On June 4, 2019, friends Carnell "Nell" Sledge and Kate Brown were found shot and killed in broad daylight near a bench in Ohio's Metroparks Rocky River Reservation park. Nell was shot twice while Kate was shot once. Two kayakers walking by happened to see their bodies and called the police, and a full homicide investigation ensued. It's been five years since the two were murdered and their loved ones still don't have answers. Below, we break down the timeline, theories, and latest updates in their case.

Nell and Kate were shot and killed on a bench

On the day of the murders, Kate and Nell texted back and forth the afternoon of June 4, 2019, and they decided to meet up. They drove to the park and sat on the bench together at the Metroparks Rocky River Reservation, and at some point between 5:08 and 5:22 p.m., they were killed.

The bench sits close to a busy highway, making Nell and Kate's family suspicious of how no one heard or saw the crime. The police determined that they were both shot from behind, and Nell was shot first. Though they can speculate, they couldn't determine who the target was or what the motive was. Police determined a robbery was a very unlikely motive because Kate and Nell had belongings like cell phones and wallets that the murderer didn't take.

Another mystery about the crime is why Kate and Nell were meeting. Both of their families were unsure what they wanted to talk about, though Kate's parents said the two would be there for each other when the other was struggling with something. Kate's sister speculated that Nell might've planned to tell Kate that he wanted to be more than friends. Though we don't have evidence that the two were romantic, Kate's sister revealed that Nell expressed wanting to "end up" with Kate.

The potential suspects and theories

A man who worked for a roofing company was parked in a truck when police arrived at the scene. He said he saw Kate and Nell but did not hear gunshots or see anyone suspicious. While Nell's parents said they "questioned" the roofer's story, the police ultimately ruled him out. After searching his electronic devices, they were able to see that he was busy during the time the murders were committed. He was the first person of interest in the case.

Was it a hate crime? Another theory people close to the case had was that the murders were committed for discriminatory reasons. Because Nell was a person of color and Kate was Caucasian, a random, racist person might have killed them. Another theory was that it was gang-related, though investigators weren't convinced because gang-related violence isn't usually towards innocent people. Kate's sister wondered if Nell and Kate were followed.

As for potential suspects who had a personal connection to Kate and Nell, police looked into Nell's ex-girlfriend Alyssa. They found out that Alyssa had a concealed carry permit, which was a big red flag. That said, Alyssa was at work during the time the murders took place, so she was ruled out. Police say she was very cooperative in the investigation and gave her gun to police, who determined it was not the murder weapon. Alyssa appears in the Netflix series and talks about her relationship with Nell, also explaining that she learned about his death through social media.

In the episode, Alyssa also says she believes the murderer had to be someone Kate knew because she believed no one would want to harm Nell. Kate's sister read through Kate's journals and other belongings to try and find clues. Prior to her death, Kate had begun going on dates through Tinder.

One Tinder date the show mentions did not go well, and Kate felt the man was dangerous. She later found out that the man had killed someone 10 years ago, which was understandably very alarming to her. As far as Kate's family knows, they never saw each other again. Police investigated the man and determined he had an alibi during the murders.

Another potential theory was Kate's ex-boyfriend who was abusive towards her. They broke up a few years before she was murdered, though her family says Kate continued to see him secretly. Police determined that Kate and her ex-boyfriend were together the night before she died. Was it possible they got into a fight and the ex-boyfriend followed her to the park to commit the crimes? Well, police confirmed he was at a barber shop at the time Kate and Nell were killed, so he was ruled out.

Though there were many theories tossed around, nothing substantial stuck.

Five years later, the families still look for answers

The families of Kate and Nell were able to raise $100,000 for reward money, but still no luck. Eventually, the case started to go cold and the momentum slowed down. Their loved ones began losing hope, though they still look for answers to this day.

Nell's family held a vigil for him and Kate in June 2024, gathering around the park bench to remember them. While speaking with Cleveland 19 News, Nell's grandmother Audrey Posey said, “I feel sad, I feel hurt. It’s like part of me is dead part of me, just doesn’t exist, but it is real. I don’t want to believe it even though it’s been five years.”

Earlier this year, Fox 8 reported that their I-Team "uncovered a new push" in the murder case, with Cleveland Metroparks Police Chief Kelly Stillman giving the following statement:

"As much as I’d like to tell you what’s going on, a lot of this is done covertly. We feel by going to a larger population that maybe somebody was there on June 4, 2019 and maybe somewhere, someone may see it and that may be the break we need. To this day, we haven’t given up and we will not give up."

Though Stillman did not elaborate further on their plans, he did say they were planning to attract "national attention." It's entirely possible that this "new push" is the episode of Unsolved Mysteries, though because we never got the details, we aren't totally sure.

Despite the five years it's been since Nell and Kate's murders, their families are still as determined as ever to find answers. Hopefully, the new episode of Unsolved Mysteries will lead to a new break in the case.

If you have any information about their murders, please call authorities at Cuyahoga County at 216-252-7463. You can also submit a tip at www.25crime.com or on unsolved.com

All four episodes of Unsolved Mysteries volume 5 are now streaming on Netflix.

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