JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The holidays are usually a time of celebration with loved ones, but one local family said this it was a time of sadness for them as they continue to search for who murdered two young women.
According to police, 14-year-old Megan Simmons and 13-year-old Jazmine Shelton were murdered inside a Northwest Jacksonville in August 2013. To this day, there still hasn't been an arrest or any big breaks made in the case.
Simmons' family has said they are heartbroken and are trying desperately to keep the case from going cold.
After more than two years without answers and without closure. Simmons' family said they hope that this holiday season someone will do the right thing and come forward with information so that detectives can solve the case.
"I miss her every day. Just being there with me," Karen Pippin, Megan Simmons' grandmother, said. "It has almost drained the life out of me really because I raised her since birth and it has just been really hard. I want answers. Who did this and why?"
Simmons' was spending the night with her friend, Jazmine Shelton, at a home off of New Kings Road. Their families said they were going to the beach in the morning but never made it because someone started shooting into the home, hitting the girls inside.
"I can walk down the street and I look and I don't know if this person did it or that one. It is very scary. Very scary for everybody. I just wish somebody would talk," Pippin said.
Police are still working the case but haven't gotten any information or evidence they need to make an arrest.
"They seem to know who did it, but they can't pinpoint it down," Pippin said.
Pippin said it is frustrating but she is not giving up.
"Step up and tell us who did this so that the kids can rest in peace. The violence needs to stop in Jacksonville because it has gone crazy," Pippin said.
Pippin is begging anyone with information to call JSO at 904-630-0500. Anyone with information can also contact First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS where they can remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest.
News4Jax Crime and Safety Analyst Gil Smith said that after a couple of years cases can be very hard to solve, but that sometimes someone may feel so guilty about what happened that they either confess or turn in the person who was involved.
He said it's important to keep the case in the public eye so the killers and those who know about it can be reminded of the pain it's caused.