Veronique Reaves, a 36-year-old Black woman known to loved ones as "Roni," was a beloved mother, wife, and a respected figure in her Milledgeville, Georgia, community. A licensed cosmetologist, she co-owned two barber and beauty salons with her husband, Analdo Reaves, and had worked as a hairstylist at their Big Heads Barber Shop for 17 years. Passionate about helping others, Veronique also taught GED classes at Central Georgia Technical College and served as a mentor to young women in her field. Her family described her as pure, honest, genuine, and a fun-loving woman who had no enemies. She and her husband were raising two daughters, aged 14 and 3 at the time of her death.
In the early hours of Friday, October 20, 2017, Veronique was driving her 2001 Toyota Camry home from work. Between 1:30 and 2:00 a.m., while on Highway 212 in Baldwin County, she called 911 to report that she was being followed and had been shot.
Her call was initially routed to Putnam County due to her proximity to the county line before being transferred to Baldwin County dispatch. She told the dispatcher that the incident was not related to road rage and that she did not know who shot her or why, giving a vague description of the pursuing vehicle as possibly being a white pickup truck.
A single bullet, fired into the driver's side reverse light of her car, struck Veronique in the lower right back. A Baldwin County Sheriff's deputy found her lying on the shoulder of the road near the intersection of Lowe Road. She was able to speak with the deputy before losing consciousness while being treated by first responders. Veronique was transported by ambulance to Navicent Health Baldwin in Milledgeville, where she died from her injuries.
The Baldwin County Sheriff's Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) immediately launched a joint homicide investigation. Detectives and GBI agents worked tirelessly, processing Veronique's car for evidence and conducting numerous interviews. They publicly asked residents and businesses along Highway 212 and nearby roads to share any outdoor surveillance footage from the period of the crime. Later, the FBI was also brought in to assist with the case. Despite these extensive efforts, no clear suspect or motive emerged.
In the years following the murder, the unsolved case has become a source of public tension. Veronique’s husband, Analdo Reaves, has repeatedly accused the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office of a lack of transparency and effort in the investigation. He has voiced immense frustration over the department's refusal to release the recording of the 911 call his wife made in her final moments.
The conflict escalated during a November 2022 community forum on unsolved murders involving Black victims. Analdo accused the sheriff's office of unequal justice, claiming his wife's case did not receive the same attention as cases with white victims. Sheriff Bill Massee publicly defended his department, stating they had been transparent and had worked 16- and 18-hour days on the case initially. The sheriff claimed that Analdo had told investigators one of Veronique's students was responsible but then hired an attorney and ceased cooperation. Analdo vehemently denied this accusation. Shortly after the murder, Analdo’s attorney had stated that spouses are often looked at first in such investigations and that his client was "totally innocent."
The community was devastated by Veronique's death. On October 26, 2017, around 200 people gathered for a candlelight vigil outside the Big Heads Barbershop to pray and honor her memory. Her husband, holding a photo of his late wife, tearfully spoke of his loss. "She was my angel," he said. "Our whole community lost a good person." The case remains open and unsolved as of November 2022, leaving a family and a community waiting for answers and justice. Anyone with information is asked to call the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 478-445-5102 or the GBI Region 6 Office at 478-445-4173.
