This year, the Beathea family will have an empty seat at their Thanksgiving table. Robert Louis Beathea, III was murdered two years ago in Milwaukee.
His sister Jackie emailed TMJ4 saying they haven't heard much from police since her brother died. She says the search for answers is extra difficult because the family lives in the Washington D.C. area.
"Robby was the youngest," recalled his mother, Karen Simmons Beathea, "and he was always full of joy." "He was on his own track," added Robert Beathea, his father. "He was doing him — and he saw himself as a positive light and energy." These are the memories of a son, brother, and father lost too soon.
"I see Robby everywhere," said his sister Kellye Beathea, with tears in her eyes. "I see him everywhere. I see him in how I talk. I see him in my students. I am a college professor and I have students who act like him."
But the echoes of Robby also surface the family's palpable frustration in the search for his killer. They say they've had little communication with Milwaukee Police and to this day no suspects have been identified.
Watch: D.C. family seeks answers 2 years after Robert Beathea's murder in Milwaukee
"I feel like I have no hope," explained his sister, Jackie Beathea. "You know what I mean? And the one thing you don't want to lose is your faith and your hope."
"I don't like shunning and pushing down my brothers in law enforcement," added Robert. "But I have to say, from the moment my son was killed, dealing with the detectives and the police department as a whole has been a poor experience."
Robert Jr. traveled to Milwaukee following his son's death, and while at Robby's house, found a bullet that he believes investigators missed.
He recalls calling MPD to tell investigators that evidence had been missed and they needed to return to Robby's house.
"They told me that they had reviewed it, they found enough evidence, and that they just didn't want to move all of his stuff out of the way or damage anything in case the family wanted his belongings," Robert Jr. said. "My response to them was — the first thing the family wants is to know who harmed our loved one."
The medical examiner ruled 26-year-old Robert Beathea's death a homicide in the early morning hours of October 2, 2022. The murder happened at a home on Cherry Street. Days later, Robby's family says the home became the scene of a burglary. "It was clear that whoever came back had taken his keys because they went through the back door," added his father.
Robert Jr. believes the burglary is connected to his son's murder, and told TMJ4 he repeatedly called MPD to flag this but investigators seemed unaware. "It's crazy to me," he said. "Put me in a complete downer on who was in charge of investigating our son's death, our loved one's death."
And although they are hundreds of miles away from Milwaukee, the Beathea family is vowing that they will not stop seeking answers and justice for Robby.
TMJ4's Lighthouse team looked at the data surrounding the homicide clearance rates in Milwaukee, or how often murders are solved.
In 2022, the year Robby was killed, MPD's clearance rate was 57%. There were 215 homicides that year.
So far in 2024, 122 homicides have happened in Milwaukee. And MPD says its current clearance rate has improved to 75%.
Click here to see Milwaukee crime maps and statistics.
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