Murder of Downriver Cash Advance store still unsolved a year later – CBS Detroit
Chelsea Small is seen in a photo displayed during a Crime Stoppers press conference. (credit: Mike Campbell / WWJ)
TAYLOR (WWJ / AP) – Police are still looking for the man who shot dead a young mother at a downstream cash advance store a year ago.
Chelsea Small family and police are hoping to draw more attention to the case, Wednesday marking the anniversary of the 30-year-old’s death. More than $ 37,000 is offered for information leading to the arrest of his killer.
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“At first we had thousands and thousands of tips,” Small’s mother Debi Kamin told WWJ. “We want so many people to think it over and keep them on their toes.”
Small’s family are planning a candlelight vigil at the Advance America Cash Advance store on Telegraph, where the crime took place, Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. to focus on the case, which remains unsolved.
“We’ve had several leads over the past year, but nothing has necessarily worked and we’re hoping maybe a resurgence of interest will lead to that,” Taylor Police Chief Mary Sclabassi said.
Officers found Small’s body on November 12, 2013 while responding to a heist alarm in the store. Police said Small was shot several times. Theft seems to be the motivepolice said because money was missing in the store.
Small, who had only worked in the store for a few months, was the only employee working at the time. The store had a security entrance that customers had to enter, but police aren’t sure Small knew of his killer.
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Security cameras show white male suspect inside the store, but police said the tape was not showing enough detail. They believe the man is between 35 and 50 years old with a stocky build and bushy black hair. At the time of the crime, he was wearing a blue jacket, white shirt, black pants, beige shoes and a baseball cap. He is believed to have “good experience” with firearms, police said.
Taylor Police are trying to identify the man on suspicion of having shot and killed an employee of a cash advance store.
Kamin said one of the hardest things about Small’s death is its impact on the lives of her two children, who must now grow up without their mother.
“They suffer a lot of losses. Of course they miss her and don’t fully understand why at a young age why something like this must have happened, ”she said.
Advance America is offering $ 35,000 for case information, and Crime Stoppers of Michigan is offering an additional $ 2,500.
Anyone with information about the crime is urged to call the police at 734-287-6611. Advice can also be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP, online at www.1800speakup.org, or by sending “CSM” and your tip to CRIMES (274637).
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