Vigil for 2019 murder victim held on what would have been her 30th birthday

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. (KMOV) - Family and friends gathered in grief Wednesday night, nearly four years after a young mother’s murder.

It’s one of a number of cases still unsolved in the Metro.

Jacqueline, or Jackie, Griffin died in a double shooting in September 2019, but no one has been charged.

“It doesn’t get better with time,” William Griffin, Jackie’s dad, said.

The young mother, daughter and friend was shot and killed on Maffitt Avenue in September 2019.

Jackie was with a man that night who was also shot to death.

“Life is entirely too short to take things for granted,” Griffin said.

Nearly four years later, Jackie’s son is 12 years old and left to grow up without his mom

The Griffin family is asking the community to keep praying for Jackie’s son.

“As you can probably imagine what it is like at a very young age to lose the greatest woman in the world,” Griffin said.

Jackie’s godfather Michael Jones describes her as the life of the party, a strong woman with a smile that would light up a room

“She would fight for anyone that she loved, and she was a pure heart,” Jones says.

The balloon release on Wednesday wasn’t just about celebrating Jackie’s 30th birthday but also keeping her memory and her case alive.

The Griffin family is still looking for answers in Jackie’s death and is hoping to hold the person who did this accountable.

“It’s a pain I can’t even explain,” Griffin says. “The reality is the person or persons responsible for her murder have not yet been brought to accountability. With that, it’s like an emptiness, an unsolved matter in our family, and it is something we hope can come to a close.”

News 4 took a deeper look at St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s open murder cases

From February 2018 to February 2023, there were 193 open cases.

However, keep in mind that some cases have been added, while others have been dropped or went to trial.

“It’s hard because that person is still walking the earth, and she’s not here with us,” Jones said.

Jones is asking people to put down their guns and stop the violence plaguing the streets of St. Louis.

“Every time you see gun violence, it triggers the memories of her murder,” Jones said. “When will it end? It’s hard for the whole entire family.”

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