Stephanie Neal, a 34-year-old White woman, was killed in Savannah on March 24, 2024, after gunfire broke out around a homeless camp at 761 Wheaton Street in the early morning. Police were called about 2:35 a.m.; she was found with a serious wound, treated at the scene, rushed to Memorial Health University Medical Center, and pronounced dead in the emergency room. The Chatham County Coroner’s Office later identified her and an autopsy was scheduled as investigators worked to reconstruct what happened before dawn.

Savannah police publicly named 36-year-old Lucius Gregory Young as a suspect and said he frequented Wheaton Street area homeless camps. Authorities urged anyone who saw him not to approach him and to contact 911 or CrimeStoppers. Young was taken into custody on April 22 by U.S. Marshals and Savannah Police and charged with murder. A Chatham County grand jury later indicted him on June 5, 2024, on counts including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Outside the criminal case, memorial notices and family pages describe Neal as originally from Savannah, most recently living in Waycross, an animal lover remembered as kind-hearted and able to make people smile. Her survivors include her wife, Kala Neal, siblings, and other relatives. Does anyone who knew Stephanie or who was in the Wheaton Street area before dawn on March 24 have information to share?