Tonya Ross

A quiet Tuesday evening in a North Nashville neighborhood was irrevocably shattered by a sudden burst of gunfire on February 7, 2012. Inside the house at 1809 Haynes Street, a home her family had lived in for more than five decades, Tonya M. Ross was resting in her bedroom. A 43-year-old Black woman, Tonya was a mother and grandmother, a daughter and a sister, whose life was stolen in an instant by an act of violence that continues to baffle her loved ones and investigators.

Just before 6:30 p.m., multiple shots were fired from outside the residence. The bullets ripped through the exterior wall of the house and into the bedroom where Tonya was lying down. One of the rounds struck her in the head, inflicting a fatal injury. Also in the home at the time were her elderly parents, Marvin Sr. and Johnnie Ross, and her brother, Marvin Ross, Jr. Hearing the terrifying sound of gunshots, Tonya’s mother immediately ran to check on her husband. After seeing he was safe, she called out for her daughter, but there was no answer. When she entered Tonya’s room, she made the horrific discovery.

Emergency services were called, and Tonya was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, but her injury was too severe. She was pronounced dead shortly after arrival, leaving her family heartbroken and a community in shock. No one else in the house was physically harmed, but the emotional wounds of that evening would prove to be deep and lasting. The sense of security the family had felt in their longtime home was destroyed along with the life of their beloved Tonya.

Investigators from the Metro Nashville Police Department arrived at a crime scene with several bullet holes piercing the bedroom wall. From the beginning, the case was perplexing. Commander Anthony Carter told reporters that the shots were fired into the residence and that he doubted the shooting was accidental. Police explored the possibility that Tonya was the intended target, but also considered that the shooter or shooters may have targeted the wrong house. The question of why anyone would fire upon the Ross family home on Haynes Street, west of Trinity Lane, remains the central, agonizing mystery of the case.

Tonya was a loving mother to her four daughters: Sharricka Ross, Naton Jumper, Latonya Ross, and Briana Ross. She was also a doting grandmother to five grandchildren. Her obituary paints a picture of a woman surrounded by a large and caring family, including her sister, Johnnie Jenkins, numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. She was also remembered by a circle of devoted friends and her extended family in the Fed Up Rydaz MC/SC, a local motorcycle and social club. Her funeral was held at the Merry Street Holiness Church of God, and she was laid to rest at Greenwood Cemetery.

Years have passed since Tonya Ross was killed, and her case has grown cold. No arrests have ever been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified. For her children, parents, and the rest of her family, the lack of answers compounds the grief of their loss. The investigation is now in the hands of the Metro Nashville Police Department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, which continues to seek the piece of information that could finally bring clarity and justice. As of February 2012, the case remains an active and open investigation, a painful chapter for a family waiting for it to be closed.

Police urge anyone with information regarding the murder of Tonya Ross to come forward. Tips can be directed to the Cold Case Homicide Unit at [email protected] or called in anonymously to the Nashville Police Department’s Crime Stoppers Division at 615-742-7463.