Families looking for answers on unsolved cases in Wayne County

WAYNE COUNTY, Miss. (WDAM) - Since October of last year, law enforcement in Wayne County has opened four homicide investigations none of which have been solved, and families are looking for answers.

“I know they’re hurting like I am,” said Douglas Thompson. “I know they need justice. I know that they need their cases solved, just like I do.”

Most recently, Thompson’s son, Kenneth Johnson, was killed earlier this month.

“Most people are saying that other cases haven’t gotten solved and people get away with murder, so they’re scared to step up,” Thompson said.

That fear is exactly what Lt. Don Hopkins said keeps critical information from investigators.

“Without the community coming forward—without them assisting and telling us what they saw, it really puts a detriment on the case where we’ll never get anywhere with it,” said Hopkins.

Hopkins said in his career, he’s seen even the slightest bit of community involvement help a case.

“We’ve had it happen when an individual happened to be driving by and identified a vehicle,” Hopkins said. “That vehicle happened to be the one we were looking for.”

We reached out to other families, and although they were not available for an interview, they shared Thompson’s thoughts.

“We need more people in Waynesboro to speak up on violence—on gun violence,” Thompson said.

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