NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — More than 18 years after a woman was found brutally murdered in her East Nashville home, the case remains unsolved.
Metro Police said Queenie McEwen's son came to her home on Leland Avenue on Aug. 16, 2005, to check on her and found the front door had been forced open. When he searched the home, he found his mother had been stabbed to death in a back bedroom of the house.
Police were called to the scene around 3:30 p.m., and they confirmed McEwen had been stabbed multiple times. The front door of the house had been forced open, and there were signs of a struggle inside the house.
"Whoever killed her, she definitely fought with her attacker," said Matthew Filter, a detective with the Metro Police Department's Cold Case-Homicide/Missing Persons unit. "She had multiple defensive wounds."
McEwen lived alone and had been confined to the house recovering from knee surgery when she was killed. News of her death shocked neighbors, but no one reported they saw anything out of the ordinary leading up to her death.
Investigators estimate the crime happened between 8 p.m. on Aug. 15 and 3 p.m. on Aug. 16.
McEwen was 57 years old, overcame poverty and homelessness and built a successful career as a photographer. Her work was featured in exhibits across the city and published in magazines. She primarily photographed the faces of individuals who were living on the streets. As a result, she was well-known in the homeless community.
Filter said over the course of the last 18 years, he believes the person who killed McEwen has talked about the crime. He encouraged anyone with information on what happened to reach out to police.
"Everything starts with receiving information," said Filter. "From that, we will have something to work with. I think everyone in the community would like to see a case like this solved."
If you have any information on who killed Queenie McEwen you can call the Metro Police Department Cold Case Unit at 615-862-7329. You can also call Nashville Crime Stoppers anonymously at 615-74-CRIME.
