Hobart police are renewing a call for information on the homicide of two women two years ago Monday.
The department is still offering $5,000 to anyone who can provide information that leads to a criminal conviction in the deaths of Destiny Loreal Jackson, 20, and Nazirah Elizia Ali Muhammad, 19. The two were found dead around 3:30 p.m. Nov. 4, 2022, in the 400 block of Ruta Drive in the Haven Hobart Apartments, just east of North Lake Park Avenue, the Post-Tribune previously reported.
“Hobart police responded to the 400 block of Ruta Drive in Hobart, in reference to a welfare check,” Captain Nicholas Wardrip said in a release Monday. “Upon arrival, officers subsequently located both Nazirah Muhammad and Destiny Jackson dead inside their apartment. Both women had been shot and their deaths ruled homicides.”
A relative of Jackson’s asked the police for a welfare check after she hadn’t heard from her in two days when they usually spoke every day, the Post-Tribune reported. The crime scene and surrounding areas were secured and searched for evidence.
Jackson was the youngest of eight. Her family told police she had a “huge impact” on them, with an “amazing heart,” was extraordinarily forgiving and went out of her way for others. She reconnected with a niece and nephew about six months before she died and built a “real friendship.”
Jackson’s sister, Sha Coleman, said Monday that she and the family were at Jackson’s gravesite remembering her. After two years of little information, she’s angry that police — through no fault of their own — seem no closer to solving the crime than they were when it happened.
“These detectives are working so hard; (Detective Mike) Gallagher is like our family now, always checking in with us. But spending two years with this, we want answers,” Coleman said. “I helped Destiny move into that apartment, and I helped pay her rent. I knew my sister, and I don’t know anyone who would’ve climbed through a balcony window to hurt her.
“What was brought into her life, and now our lives?”
Nazirah was fun-loving with an “infectious smile” who made everyone laugh, her family told investigators. She said she was a “Mommy’s daughter.” She grew up near St. Louis as a “talented dancer” traveling to different states for shows. She was a beauty who was a hair show model and her face was used in art show galleries.
Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact Gallagher at 219-942-4991 or by email at mgallagher@cityofhobart.org. Tipsters may remain anonymous.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.