From Local 3 News: A family is still looking for answers nearly four decades after 19-year-old Kim Croft was murdered in Ringgold, Georgia back in 1987. 

To raise awareness a vigil is set for Tuesday evening at Mount Peria Baptist Church.

 

Local 3 spoke to the victim’s sister who says new developments in the case are giving the family hope.

 

Lavonda (Croft) Deloney says her older sister Kim Croft was raped and strangled to death 37 years ago.

 

“Kim was 19-years-old at the time, a graduate of Ringgold High School, and the family was notified early in the wee hours of the morning that she was murdered,” said Deloney.

 

She says the killing of her older sister Kim has plagued her family. The years following the incident she says they stayed in close contact with the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office.

 

“We spent many a times trying to take evidence to the police department that we were hearing, things we were piecing together on our own,” said Deloney.

 

In 1993 her uncle in-law Jarvise (Gene) Suggs was arrested and charged with the murder of Kim, spending more than a year in jail.

 

He was found not guilty in 1994 and the case was considered closed. Deloney says this left her family exhausted.

 

“But my sister and I, I was 17 at the time, my younger sister was 15 we vowed we would never give up,” said Deloney.

 

Deloney’s patience finally paid off. In July of last year the Coleman-Baker Act was passed, a bill focusing on re-opening unsolved homicides in Georgia.

 

“And it was named after two woman in this area who also were murdered and had no resolve,” said Deloney.

 

Right now her family is waiting to hear back from the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office on any plans to move forward with the new act.

 

The vigil on Tuesday March 12th marks the anniversary if Kim’s death.

 

“So it will actually be 37 years to the day that we found out. We want to show the department that we are serious this time, that we’re not going away,” said Deloney.

 

People are encouraged to attend the vigil starting at 6 that night. Deloney’s goal is to re-open her sisters case.

 

“And really giving it a thorough look this time, and point in a more accurate direction as to who we believe was responsible for my sisters death,” said Deloney.