Family still seeking justice 1 year after pregnant woman, boyfriend killed in Inkster

INKSTER, Mich. (FOX 2) - Verna Evans is overwhelmed with emotion, standing at the Pontiac gravesite of her 28-year-old daughter, Shelly Pettaway, who was gunned down along with her boyfriend in Inkster one year ago.

"My daughter was a mother of three, first of all," Evans said. "She had three small children that she loved very dearly. She was on her way to nursing school."

Pettaway was pregnant when her life was taken. The killer is still on the run. 

Michigan State Police said detectives are still working on leads, with no major updates at the moment.

"She had a beautiful spirit. Everywhere she went, she lit the whole room up," Evans said. "This had nothing to do with her, and Inkster is not that large… There was a whole lot of people out there that seen what happened to my daughter."

Family members say Pettaway and her boyfriend were out on a date night when the shooting took place. 

Police found the couple shot to death inside their car near Burns and Carlysle streets in Inkster, according to MSP.

Not much more is known despite a year passing by. There were also four other murders that week in the same community.

"Think if this was your daughter," Pettaway's uncle, David Donvig, said. "It’s horrible. It’s really terrible, I mean she had a heart of gold."

As the grief continues, so does the push for answers.

"I said last year, I am my daughter’s voice. I’m going to speak out for my daughter, I’m going to continue to speak up for my daughter, and I will get justice for my daughter – one way, or another," Evans said.