More than a year after 27-year-old Kelsay Franklin was shot and killed in East Memphis, her family is raising the stakes for anyone who knows who pulled the trigger. Relatives in Memphis have put an extra $8,000 into an existing reward, bringing the total to $12,000 for information that could help crack the 2024 case. Franklin was shot after reportedly giving four people a ride to the Eastern Heights Apartments in East Memphis, and her family hopes the larger payout will finally push someone with knowledge of the crime to speak up.
According to Action News 5, the family's money was added to a standing CrimeStoppers reward, raising the total to $12,000. Tammy Franklin told the station, “I want justice for my daughter and family.” The TV outlet also shared surveillance images released by authorities that appear to show a group running away from the scene after the shooting.
Funeral notices list Franklin’s date of death as Feb. 2, 2024, and confirm that she was 27 years old. EchoVita carries the memorial details her family made public.
What investigators say
In its initial coverage, Action News 5 reported that officers responded to a man-down call at the Eastern Heights complex in late January 2024. Police arrived to find Franklin lying beside her car after she had been shot.
Witnesses told investigators that Franklin had given four people a ride to the complex. After the group got out of her vehicle, they allegedly shot her, grabbed her purse, and took off toward the nearby Greenline trail, the station reported. Authorities believe the suspects are one man and three women and have released surveillance images in an effort to identify them.
How to submit tips
CrimeStoppers accepts anonymous tips by phone at 901-528-CASH (2274), by texting the keyword “AWARD” to 274637, or through an online tip portal. People who provide information that leads to an arrest may qualify for a reward payout. According to the local CrimeStoppers site, those channels are the preferred ways to share information while keeping your identity private. In other high-profile Memphis cases, federal partners such as the U.S. Marshals Service have added their own rewards on top of local offers to help generate tips.
The investigation into Franklin’s killing remains active, and no arrests have been announced, according to her family and police. Anyone with information is urged to contact CrimeStoppers or the Memphis Police Department’s Homicide Unit so detectives can follow up on new leads.
