It’s been 33 years since 21-year-old Valencia Reynolds and her unborn child were brutally murdered at her home in St. Louis, Missouri, and authorities still don’t have a suspect.
On the early morning of May 16, 1992, authorities responded to Reynolds' home in the 10100 Block of Lord Drive in the Castle Point neighborhood after the father of her unborn child, Antoine Jackson, found her body on the floor of her bedroom. In addition, Reynolds' 18-month-old son was left unharmed but scared in the next room, reported Project: Cold Case.
According to authorities, the victim was stabbed over 25 times, and there was no forced entry into the residence. As a result, investigators believed the perpetrator was a known entity to Reynolds and either had access to the home or she let the killer into her house.
“There was just a lack of physical evidence at the scene. But clearly, the killer was looking for something. They had ruffled through Valencia’s purse, and there were papers strewn across the floor,” said Joe Burgoon, St. Louis County Cold Case investigator, reported First Alert 4.
At the time, authorities questioned Jackson, who was living with another woman, but he had a solid alibi and passed a polygraph test. Family members told authorities Reynolds and Jackson had been engaged, but the victim had called the relationship off. Jackson married the other lady just a few weeks after Reynolds’ murder.
Investigators also interviewed the father of Reynolds’ infant son, Ricky Herron. Though he failed his polygraph test, Herron was at a hotel with other individuals at the time the homicide occurred. Two years later, Herron was sentenced to 10 years for manslaughter after he stabbed a man to death.
Neighbors claimed they saw a man leaving the home, but no one could identify the suspect.
Investigators exhausted every lead, and the case went cold. Now, authorities are hoping DNA advanced technology will provide an answer to the missing pieces of the case.
Reynolds was 9 months pregnant at the time of her demise and was studying to become a nurse while she worked as a cashier at Schnucks.
Over the years, the family has raised a $5,000 cash reward to encourage witnesses to come forward. The Saint Louis County Police Department is seeking information from anyone with knowledge of the cold case to call (314) 615-5400.
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