Emily Valentine was 15 when she was shot in the face and killed on the evening of February 28, 2023, in the Gravois Park neighborhood of south St. Louis. She was found on a parking pad in an alley just before 8 p.m., rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead. Bystanders reported hearing five to six gunshots and saw a young girl who had been with Emily run for help.

According to Emily’s 14-year-old sister, their 15-year-old former boyfriend picked the sisters up from their aunt’s home and drove them to the 3700 block of Minnesota Avenue, where the boy shot Emily and then fled in a stolen car, leaving her in the alley. St. Louis police named a person of interest and a 15-year-old boy was later charged with second-degree murder; investigators said that suspect was already in custody in St. Louis County on unrelated charges when charged. Emily’s grandmother, Rosie Valentine, said Emily earned good grades and described the family’s grief; the family told authorities they believed the charge should have been first-degree murder.

Did anyone in the neighborhood see the getaway vehicle or notice who was with Emily that evening?