The shadows of grief and confusion loom over two Dalton families as they navigate the aftermath of a horrific murder-suicide that claimed the lives of Rebeca Nicole Akins, Cindel Mae Rhoden, and the alleged perpetrator, Kevin Andrew Akins. On May 21, what began as a day like any other, devolved into an unthinkable tragedy.
Dalton Police have identified 37-year-old Kevin Andrew Akins as the suspect in the killings of his 35-year-old wife, Nicole Akins, in her apartment on Murray Avenue, and his 33-year-old girlfriend, Cindel Rhoden, in a Shadow Lane residence, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta. In the midst of their sorrow, relatives are not only mourning their losses, but also scrambling to manage the financial burden that accompanies the memorials of their loved ones.
Nicole Akins' sister shared on GoFundMe the overwhelming devastation of losing her sibling to a man she had been with for two decades, "My older sister Nicole was tragically taken away from us by the man she had loved for over half of her life," while also facing uncertainty regarding her financial estate, deeply intertwined with the man who took her life. Similarly, Cindel Rhoden's family is raising funds for her burial and support of her two young daughters — now motherless and with an unborn brother who will never take his first breath — describing her on their GoFundMe page as "a hardworking, kind-hearted single mother."
In a statement obtained by News Channel 10, a family spokesperson articulated the complexity of emotions surrounding such tragedies, "I know everybody judges. People speculate, and they’re entitled to that. But as humans, don’t lose compassion. There’s a lot of lives that are devastated and broken," lamented Barker. Investigators continue their efforts to unearth what might have incited Akins to commit the acts of violence.
Community response reflects shock amid the sorrow. Vickey Tinsley, a resident at the Murray Avenue complex, told FOX 5 Atlanta that the quiet of the neighborhood stood in stark contrast to the brutality of the events, “It’s very quiet out here... And to have somebody kill somebody and then go kill somebody else, and then kill themselves—it’s like ‘okay, I’m gonna lock my door now.’”
As police continue reviewing surveillance footage and conducting interviews to establish the timeline of the double murder-suicide, the Dalton community is organizing efforts to assist the affected families. Donations are being collected to fund a memorial for the women and to support Rhoden’s daughters, who are now without their mother. These efforts aim to provide practical assistance in the aftermath of the incident.
