On what would have been his 61st birthday, the family of James R. Harris, Jr. was not celebrating, but continuing their search for answers. A 60-year-old Black man from Cleveland, Ohio, James was a beloved member of his family who was tragically killed on Friday, January 29, 2021. His loved ones, including his grieving mother, were left with unimaginable pain and a desperate need for justice.
The circumstances of his death are particularly brutal. On that Friday, James was shot twice in the head. His body was then taken and left behind an abandoned house in his own city. It was discovered the following morning, on January 30, 2021, near the intersection of East 131st Street and Brackland Avenue in Cleveland. The discovery marked the beginning of a homicide investigation by the Cleveland Division of Police.
In the months that followed, the family felt a profound sense of loss, compounded by a lack of information.
By September 2021, nine months after the murder, police had not publicly released any significant details about the case, leaving his relatives in a painful state of uncertainty. His mother, Anna Harris, expressed her ongoing grief and disbelief. “It’s a hurting thing," she said. "He has been gone for nine months. I be looking for him to walk in the door any day.”
The family’s anguish was felt across the country. James's niece, a nurse working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic in California, found herself trying to investigate her uncle's murder from afar. She spoke of the deep, dark space the tragedy had plunged her family into and their need for help to find a way out. "If it was money, anything, I would have given it for my uncle’s life," she shared, highlighting the immense value of the life that was taken.
In their quest for answers, the family made a public appeal to the community. They pleaded with anyone living in the neighborhood of East 131st and Brackland to come forward with any information, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. They believe someone must have seen or heard something that could provide a crucial lead for investigators.
Funeral services for James were held a week after his death. A visitation took place on Friday, February 5, 2021, at the Thomas G. Smith Funeral Home on St. Clair Avenue. The funeral service followed the next morning at the same location, with interment at Cleveland Memorial Gardens in Highland Hills. These services provided a moment for loved ones to gather and mourn, but they did not bring closure.
As of September 2021, the homicide investigation into the death of James R. Harris, Jr. remains open. His family continues to hope that someone will step forward and provide the information needed to bring his killer to justice. They urge anyone with knowledge about what happened to James to contact the Cleveland police.
