Jennifer Renee Short was 9 when she was murdered on August 15, 2002. Her parents, Michael and Mary Short, were found shot to death in their Bassett, Virginia home the same day — Michael on a couch in the garage and Mary in her bed — each shot in the head with a small-caliber gun. Jennifer was initially missing; her remains were found about a month later near a stream in Rockingham County, North Carolina, and she had also been shot in the head.

Investigators have treated the killings as linked and extensive efforts followed, including a special task force. In August 2015, the Henry County Sheriff suggested the murders may have been connected to Jennifer’s abduction. The FBI circulated 19 investigative leads, including requests to identify anyone who had contact with Jennifer between June 1, 2002 and August 14, 2002, and law enforcement identified a possible vehicle of interest described as a 1998–2002 white single-cab two-ton flatbed stake body truck with wooden rails. The family home later burned in February 2019.

Anyone who knew Jennifer, the Shorts, or saw the described truck or a white flatbed truck in the area that summer is asked to come forward with information.