Today, Dec. 17 makes a year my son Don E. Owens was brutally murdered off of West Steirs Lane in a dark alley.

He was shot in the back and no one has been arrested for taking my child’s life.

I write this letter from a place of severe desperation as a grieving mother that no longer hears the laughter or cries of my child, who I am no longer able to hug, kiss, counsel or pray with.

Yet I cry out for answered prayers because my child was brutally murdered by someone that tore him down in the prime of his young life.

Don came from a close and loving family. He was a son, brother, grandson, uncle, and most of all a loving father of four children.

Don will never get to see his children’s birthdays, holidays, graduations, weddings and all of those important special events a loving father shares with his children.

Don loved his family and until this day we will always love him if it’s just in memories.

We as a family miss him so much as we sit around and reminisce about all the things we did as individuals or as a family.

This type of death has affected all of our families.

Some days I feel empty and hollow. Some days I can’t think or concentrate and also I have days I can’t see what’s in front of my eyes.

I have feelings of isolation helplessness, fear, uncertainty, guilt or self blame and nightmares.

As a parent I have always believed in the natural order of life.

The older generation should die first.

As a mother and father we do not expect to bury our children. They should bury us.

God himself has the last word on life. I have asked each agency to consider working together to solve these senseless killings.

I feel every elected official should be held accountable until all murders have been solved or there is some justice.

The murderers and criminals walk among us every day knowing they have no consequences for their actions.

Knowing these criminals are somewhere doing who knows what is scary but all so true.

Families need justice and closure on losing our love ones to violence.

It is so sad and overwhelming that I had another son to get shot on Aug. 23.

He had no life-threatening injuries but it’s the principle is that I could have lost another child and there has been nothing done about it, no arrest.

We as a community are in this together because what has happened to me could have happened to your child or love ones.

I don’t wish this pain on my worst enemy even if I had one.

It is my plea that if anyone saw something or knows something, please say something so we can get safe streets in our city and return to our homes with no worries.

Rebecca Owens’ son Don E. Owens was shot to death on Dec. 17, 2018, in Natchez.