Theft at 1500 BLOCK OF N CASS ST on 04/02/2025 10:44 AM

Name

Vanessa Smith

Missing Age

34

Est. Current Age

68

Last Seen

Milwaukee, WI on 12/31/1990

Physical Description

Race: Black Ethnicity: African American Gender: Female Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown Height: 5' 1" Weight: 130 lbs

Case Number

MP29105

Name

Ashleigh Love

Age

19

Cause of Death

Gun/firearm

Info

Cold case spotlight around 1:55am on october 6, 2009, an armed intruder entered the n. 64th street family home of 19-year-old ashleigh love in milwaukee, wisconsin. The unknown intruder proceeded to ashleigh’s second floor bedroom where he shot her in the face as she slept. Ashleigh’s mother told police she saw someone with a bandanna over his face and shotgun in hand run from their home and through the backyard after the shooting. Investigators do not believe this was a random act but they have not said publicly if they have a suspect or motive. Investigators have asked the public to help them find a man ashleigh may have met online and in person over that summer. Police have not named him a suspect but would like to speak to him about his relationship with ashleigh. €œsomeone somewhere knows something. We are begging them to come forward. This has left our family heartbroken and devastated. We feel like we are in hell, and we can’t climb out.€ -tammy love (ashleigh’s mom). Ashleigh graduated that spring from pius xi catholic high school in milwaukee, where she was on the honor roll. Ashleigh, known for her smile, laugh and compassion for others was employed at arby’s as she took the year off from school while deciding what to do with her life. In the days and weeks after ashleigh’s murder letters from family, friends and strangers poured in from near and far. Kyle olson, a milwaukee native and filmmaker who knew the loves, collaborated with the family in the months and years after ashleigh’s death to create a short documentary, ‘letters to ashleigh’. During the film ashleigh’s family reads the letters they received following ashleigh’s death. Ashleigh’s mom, tammy love, also contributed to the book grief diaries: project cold case and shared her journey through the devastating grief associated with losing a child to an unsolved murder. The fear, the anger, the sadness and the lonliness often try to overcome me so I grasp onto hope, because without hope there is nothing.€ tammy love, letters to ashleigh. Anyone who has any information about this case, the identity, or location of the suspect(s) is asked to contact the milwaukee police department at 414-933-4444

Agency

Milwaukee Police Department