So far in 2026, roughly four out of every five homicides in the city remain unsolved, according to police figures, leaving dozens of families waiting for answers and arrests that have yet to come. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department data show there have been 41 homicide victims across 38 incidents this year, and investigators say only about 18% of those cases have been cleared with arrests. Seven suspects have been arrested in 2026 homicide cases, and detectives report they also cleared 17 cases from previous years earlier this year, Fox59 reported. When those older cleared cases are added in, the department says the official clearance rate rises to around 60%.
Staffing Strain And Recent Trends
Police leaders and local reporting say the numbers highlight a mix of incremental progress and serious strain on homicide detectives. In 2025, IMPD recorded roughly 152 homicides, with many still unresolved, and officials have warned that detectives are carrying higher-than-average caseloads while trying to juggle older files and fresh crime scenes, according to WRTV.
Families Urge Neighbors To Come Forward
For families, the statistics land as a daily, personal reality. Kimis Walker Bowen, whose son was killed just days before his child's first birthday, told reporters that holding her grandson has been "hard" without any sense of justice. Relatives and detectives say two killings at a home on Pointe Club Road and another near 30th Street and German Church Road remain unsolved with no arrests yet made, according to Fox59.
How To Help Detectives
IMPD and local outlets are urging anyone who knows something, saw something, or even recorded something on a phone to reach out. Tips can be shared with the IMPD Homicide Office at 317-327-3475 or with Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-TIPS (8477), according to WRTV. Detectives say that even a short video clip or a small remembered detail can be the thing that finally moves an investigation forward.
