Killing ends Indianapolis's 3-week streak without a homicide
Homicide detectives are investigating the death of a 37-year-old woman, found in a home on Indianapolis' east side earlier this week, ending a nearly three-week streak without a killing.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers responded to reports of a "person down" on the 3700 block of East Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive around noon on Monday.
The Marion County Coroner's office identified the woman as Stefanie Coulson, but did not release the cause of death.
Police do not know how Coulson died, but are calling this a homicide. She was found suffering from an "apparent undisclosed trauma," police said in a press release Wednesday. Medics pronounced her dead on the scene.
Justin Wilfong, of Indianapolis, was close friends with Coulson for 10 years. They jokingly called each other "brother" and "sister." He said Coulson was a kind and good-hearted person, and that her family just wants justice.
"She was loved by many and will be missed," Wilfong said.
Coulson was living in Indianapolis, Wilfong said, but previously lived in New Palestine. There will be a candlelight vigil at 7 p.m. Thursday at the house where she was found.
Detectives were searching the area for witnesses Wednesday. No mention has been made of a suspect.
Tuesday would have marked three weeks without a homicide in Indianapolis, the longest stretch this year. The last one was March 6, when a man was found dead outside of a residence on the 2100 block of N. Riley Ave.
Since January, there have been 25 homicides, said police spokesperson James Gillespie. He attributed the peaceful period to coordination between police narcotics and investigations units and community outreach efforts.
"If this is something we want to see consistently, it’s going to take all of us," he said. "It’s not just the police department."
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (317) 262-TIPS (8477).
Follow reporter Emma Kate Fittes at @IndyEmmaKate.
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