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Written by: E. George
Published September 20, 2024 @ 3:00 PM ET
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. – In September 2009, a masked man entered the Stewart Mill Road Circle K gas station in Douglasville to commit an armed robbery and shot an employee, killing her. The suspect was never identified; however, July’s passing of the Coleman-Baker Act may allow this case to be reinvestigated, possibly leading authorities to the murderer of 63-year-old Maryanne Humphrey.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation held a briefing and press conference on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, at 1:30 PM at their Decatur headquarters. The conference revealed that the GBI is “renewing its call for information” regarding this case.
The agency released two “never-before-seen sketches” of the suspect drawn by a GBI forensic artist, an original drawing and an age-progressed one. Police believe the suspect was in his teens or early 20s and is around 5 feet 4 inches tall. Police also released information about a rare pair of shoes, Reebok’s Talking Krazy basketball sneakers that they believe the suspect was wearing during the murder.
Police reached out to Reebok to create a replica pair of the shoes to show the public during a recent press conference. Police stated there were only limited quantities of this shoe sold and they were just released at the time of the homicide. They do not believe they were sold in Douglas County. The shoes were mainly sold at Champs Sports Store. The shoes have a unique dry-erase feature on the upper part of the shoe allowing you to write messages on them, erase and repeat. Each pair of shoes came with a dry-erase marker. The GBI and the victim’s loved ones hope this new information will lead to the killer and are asking for the public’s help.
Agents said, back in 2009, the area was experiencing record flooding the night of the murder. “This was a night of epic flooding. Anything that could possibly trigger your memory at that moment, let law enforcement know. Even the smallest, most minor details can solve this case. Fifteen years is a long time for this family to wait,” said Douglas County District Attorney Dalia Racine.
Authorities are offering a $25,000 reward for anyone with information on the case that could lead to closure for the family.
GBI Investigative Division Director Cynthia Adkins stated, “No matter how many years have passed, the GBI will continue to fight for justice for the tragic death of Maryanne Humphrey. Georgia citizens deserve to live and work without fear of violent criminals. Ms. Humphrey’s life was stolen from her, and our agents remain committed to finding answers and holding her killer accountable for this vicious and senseless act of violence.”
Douglas County District Attorney Dalia Racine said, “We know that this case can be solved, and we are asking for our community to help us in finally bringing justice for Maryanne.”
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Captain Jon Mauney stated, “Sheriff Tim Pounds and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office are committed to using whatever resources are at our disposal in order to bring closure to Mrs. Humphrey’s family and bring her killer to justice.”
Officials explained that on the day of the robbery, Humphrey fought and attempted to stop the suspect, struggling with and even unmasking him, before he fired his weapon at least once, hitting her. Security video captured the suspect’s face, but the grainy images failed to identify him, and no valid leads materialized.
After 15 years, Humphrey’s family still hopes for justice and closure. Her granddaughter, Kailyn Kaiser, who was 16 years old at the time of the murder, discussed their close relationship.
Kaiser stated, “It’s hard, having to go through Christmas, Thanksgivings without her. It’s hard…” Her love for her grandmother motivates her to keep pushing for justice.
On the anniversary of her grandmother’s untimely death, Kaiser shares posts about the incident on Facebook to prevent the crime from being forgotten. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office noticed her post in 2022 and recirculated the photo, helping her remind the public.
She explained that now that the Coleman-Baker Act has passed, she plans to meet with the lead detective. She said she and “the captain are in talks about what we can do to have it reinvestigated again, with all new fresh sets of eyes.”
She expressed, “For 15 years, I have always wondered “why” as years passed by and the case grew colder and colder. Why did that happen to my grandmother? What motivated the person to make the decision and take the life of someone so pure-hearted?
From the bottom up, I want to send my greatest appreciation for the effort brought by all the departments involved, including forensics, in closing out the horrific chapter of our lives; your tireless work and dedication to the advancement of finding new testing procedures and implementing them in cases like now will set a lot of minds present and future at ease in bringing justice and closure to other tragic situations.”
If Humphrey’s murder case qualifies for a reinvestigation, it will transfer to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s new cold case unit. Although a decision has not yet been made, detectives stated that the investigation is active.
The Coleman-Baker Act was written in honor of murder victims Rhonda Coleman and Tara Baker. The act prompted the creation of a cold case unit in the GBI and an option for families to submit requests for cases to be reinvestigated/reconsidered.
If you have any information related to this case, authorities ask that you please contact the GBI or the sheriff’s office. The GBI shared the following statement on Facebook:
“No matter how small or minor the detail, anything that can help us solve this case is appreciated. If you recognize the man in the sketch or have any information regarding the case, please contact the GBI at 678-382-7292 or the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office at 770-920-7139.
Anonymous tips are also welcomed and can be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or through the See Something, Send Something mobile app.”