PINE BLUFF, Ark. – Kaylee Mathis is the youngest victim of all the unsolved homicides within Pine Bluff in the past five years. Her mother, LaBraya Noid, says the four-year-old died on April 26, 2020, shielding her younger brother and sister from gunfire.
“To know her was to love her. She was so sweet, smart, brave. She was a helper. She was the best,” Noid said.
LaBraya Noid, her children, and cousins were all in a family home that night following a funeral. When the bullets stopped piercing walls and windows, Kaylee and Terrance Givens (36) were killed. His brother survived being shot in the jaw.
With no arrests, suspects, or vehicle descriptions, the family is losing hope. According to the Pine Bluff Police Department, from the start of 2019 to October 17, 2024, 64 other stories like Kaylie remain unsolved.
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In that same time, Pine Bluff Police have solved homicides for 89 victims. This means that about 6 out of every 10 are solved.
Based upon data reported by police to the FBI, in 2020 when Kaylee died, the national solve rate for murder reached an all-time low of 50%. From 2019 to 2023, agencies across the U.S. solved 55% of homicides the same year they happened. The same data shows Pine Bluff solved 29% of homicides the same year they happened.
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FOX 16 News tried for three months to sit down with Pine Bluff’s police chief or a detective for an interview on how to solve more of these difficult to crack cases.
PBPD sent this statement:
“I’m sorry to inform you that I can’t provide information about any ongoing investigations.
The best practice has always been for the immediate family member to the victim to dialogue with the detective assigned to the case.
Cold cases are still considered active investigations until it’s solved or closed.
The family member can arrange for a sit down with the assigned detective and their supervisor.”
Lt. DeShawn Bennett, PBPD Public Information Officer
Noid says she has spoken to her detectives over the years as the case has switched hands.
“Not saying they don’t care, but it’s like out of their league. They want to do something, but they can’t because they don’t know nothing,” Noid said.
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She says what authorities need is for the right people to talk, but she recognizes that requires more than good policing. It requires everyday people willing to do what’s right.
“Everybody is scared of what’s going to happen behind it, or I don’t want to be called a snitch. It’s way bigger than that. This is a four-year-old baby. She was so innocent. You’re not snitching. You’re doing something good, and God’s going to bless you for that,” Noid pleaded.
She added the person who knows the most, the one who pulled the trigger, will likely never come clean. If that person reads this, she wants the person to remember who he never let grow up.
“I don’t want nobody to have the death penalty or nothing. Just paint a picture of my baby in they cell so they know they messed up,” Noid said.
For more information on these cases or if you want to call the Pine Bluff Police tip line at 870-730-2106.