Monique Cierra McDonald, 25, was shot and killed at her residence on Ben Christopher Road in New Hope, just outside Columbus, Mississippi, on the evening of June 16, 2022. Deputies from the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office responded about 5:45 p.m. and found McDonald unresponsive with a gunshot wound to her neck; she had no pulse. She had lived in the area about six months after moving from Corinth.

Investigators say the shooting occurred during a domestic dispute and involved a struggle over a firearm between McDonald and her boyfriend, 26-year-old Joshua Daunte Whitley. Whitley was at the scene, identified as a person of interest, questioned by investigators and then taken into custody. He was later charged with second-degree murder. The coroner confirmed McDonald’s identity and sent her body to the state crime lab for autopsy.

If anyone knew Monique, her movements in New Hope, or has information about what happened that evening, please share what you know.