Unanswered Calls, Unresolved Justice: The Kenyona Griffin Story

In this episode of “No Tears For Black Girls,” we take you to 553 Sheldon Avenue SE in Grand Rapids, Michigan—a mustard-yellow house built in 1903 whose creaking floors and weathered walls have borne witness to generations of family stories. Nestled in the city’s South East Community, an area marked by both steadfast home ownership and stubbornly high crime rates, the house seems to stand apart from the bustle of downtown life, its somber presence a silent sentinel on cloudy Michigan days.

On a cold Wednesday morning in March 2019, 25-year-old Keyona Griffin made a final, desperate call to 911 from inside that very home. “I need help,” she whispered, her voice trembling so faintly that the crucial words—“He already killed my auntie”—were never properly understood by the dispatcher. What followed was a tragic cascade of missed signals and lost opportunities, and a case that would come to define the Grand Rapids Police Department’s worst fears: a vibrant young woman and her beloved aunt murdered in their own home, and the alleged perpetrator slipping through every net, only to end up on the U.S. Marshals’ 15 Most Wanted list.

But this is more than a tale of procedural breakdowns and unanswered calls. It is the story of Keyona Griffin—a “bubbly and big-hearted” woman whose radiant optimism made her loss all the more heartrending—and Cherletta Baber-Bey, the gentle, nurturing aunt who saw only the best in the man she trusted. Through interviews with family members, law enforcement officials, and community advocates, we piece together the human lives behind the headlines and ask how a case so full of potential turning points could still remain unresolved.

Join us as we sift through the fragments of evidence, revisit heart-wrenching 911 recordings, and confront the lingering questions of accountability and justice. In “Shadows on Sheldon,” we don’t just recount a crime—we explore the people caught in its crossfire, the flaws in our emergency response systems, and the enduring hope that one day, those who love Keyona and Cherletta will finally find the answers they deserve. Tune in and walk the creaking floors with us—if you dare.

CREDITS:

Created, Written, & Produced by John Reedburg

Hosted & Narrated by Samantha Paul

Production Company: John Reedburg Media

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