An eight-year-old girl and her mother were discovered tied to a bed and dead inside their home. Terri Bankhead, 27, and her daughter Da’Nilya, a second grader, were found shot in their north St Louis City home on Wednesday afternoon.
Police found them deceased around 3pm after Terri’s mother went to the house for a wellness check, CBS St Louis reported.
The St Louis Metropolitan Police Department believes that the Bankheads were specifically targeted by a suspect.
‘I’m asking the community to assist the police department in this investigation so that we can hold any and everybody accountable in this tragic situation,’ Police Chief John Hayden said.
‘It’s just too much for anyone to bear, so we’re asking the community to assist us and provide us with information.’
Bankhead’s cousin, Shagreggria Brown, told NBC St. Louis, ‘It’s very hard to believe. I knew Terri a long time. We all called her “Shug,” because she was sweet as sugar.’
‘She was very loving, giving, kind and loyal. I’m in shock that this even happened to her,’ Brown said.
Terri was a certified nursing assistant who only had one child, friends and family say. She only lived in the neighborhood for six months.
‘My cousin was all about her daughter. She went to work, came home and minded her business,’ said Shannon Jackson.
Brown said she wants the community to take a stand, according to People.
‘It’s an eight-year-old that was just murdered and tied up in your community. We need to stand up and take control of our community. Do something better, everyone just do something,’ she said. ‘Something needs to be done. Everyone feels like they need to move out of town for a better life and this is where we grew up at.’
Brown added: ‘I’m hoping that whoever did it, feels so bad that they just go turn their self in immediately.’ So far this year, 11 children under the age of 17 have been killed in St Louis City, according to the police department.
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