Princella Yolanda Eppes

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Atlanta Police Department (GA)

Offense Location:

Atlanta/GA

Reward:

up to $10,000

via Atlanta Crimestoppers

Not from STC, Conditions and restrictions apply

Summary:

Princella was found naked on her bed in her apartment at 445 N. Highland Ave on July 9th, 1990 with a single gunshot to her head. It is thought that she knew her killer. She was 22 years old and had lived in her new apartment for about one week. It's thought that sex assault might be the motive as 2 condom wrappers were found on the floor of her apartment but the apartment was not ransacked and didn't appear to be burglarized. Police questioned 3 witnesses, 2 males and 1 female.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

Witness 1, heard a single gunshot during a show she was watching late on July 6 or 7th 1990. Witness 2 a police officer helped her hang curtains in her new apartment on July 6th but reportedly left at 10:30. Police reported he had a solid alibi but the alibi isn't detailed. Police officer states he observed no condoms on the floor when he was there. Witness 3 saw Princella in the parking lot of her apartment with a male, not white, slim build and about 6 feet tall. The witness reportedly greeted Princella but neither Princella nor the described male with her returned his greeting which the witness found odd.

Additional Details:

Family members were not questioned or informed about Princellas case, but requested that Atlanta police dept review the case in 2016 and reopen the case in 2022. In 2022, the family was sent a checklist regarding the review in 2016. The review indicated there were no suspects, leads and the case would need extensive investigation. Also, in 2022. the family requested information about the DNA found at the scene but were told the lead male Investigator that the DNA had never been tested. In Dec, 2022 or Jan, 2023 this lead detective notified the family that DNA was being sent off to be analyzed and that this process could take 10 to 12 months. When the family followed up with this male lead detective, they were told that there were no updates to share. This continued until the male detective stopped responding to the requests for updates. When the family attempted to reach other members of the squad, they received notice from this male investigator was no longer with them and that the case would be reassigned. The new lead female detective from the murder cold case division shared that the DNA had not been sent for analysis in 2022 as they'd been told. Instead, the family that the DNA had been tested in 2004 but that Princella's file was incomplete. No report or findings of any DNA were in the file and the private lab where the DNA was analyzed had closed down. The current female lead detective has requested that the last remaining DNA sample be analyzed by the FBI. The family is waiting for the outcome. The family has been told that there is a person of interest.

Case Last Updated:

Oct 17, 2024