On a Friday afternoon in Rogersville, family and friends gather to remember Connie Ridgeway. “She’d do anything for anybody,” says Dell Leplow, Connie’s former friend and neighbor.
“She was a friend to so many people and it’s evident today that so many people cared about her,” says Mark White, a family friend and advocate.
It’s been just over two years since Connie was killed. But the people of Rogersville are dedicated to keeping her memory alive. Her son Cameron Williams says, “It’s just good to see the love and support for the family, that they’ve got our backs and they’re praying for us, and thinking about us.”
On a quiet street across from the Lauderdale County football stadium, Connie Ridgeway was found dead in her home on October 23rd of 2015. “People were sitting in the stands as Lauderdale County was playing Clements High School and they were looking over toward Meadowland Apartments,” says White. “And there were the fire trucks and there were the police cars and people were wondering, “what is happening?”
Lauderdale County Deputy, Lt. Brad Potts says, “she had been violently assaulted. I hate to divulge the method. But she had been violently assaulted and deceased. She passed away from her injuries inside the apartment.”
Connie’s son Austin Williams says, “I got a call from Cameron. I was riding with my friend, and I said, my mother has just been stabbed. He said are you sure. He looked at my like I was crazy. I was like no, this is real. Something is going on.”
“Like the worst nightmare,” Cameron Williams adds. “Kind of like a knife was stabbing. It took my breath away. Hard to handle, even today.”
Now, two years later, the case remains unsolved. But, investigators say they aren’t giving up. Somebody out there knows about this,” says Potts. “And, we just need the right person to overhear a conversation, come forward and say this is what I know, or this is what I heard.”
And that’s why the community is standing up for justice. “We come here around October 23rd as a community to let the person know who did this, or persons who did this know, that we are going to find out who did it and they will be arrested and will be charged,” says White.
In Rogersville, the community is standing up for a friend and a family. “In a way, it feels like she’s here,” says Austin. “She kind of lives through our spirit. She raised us, we spent so much time with her. Her spirit kinda lives through us.”
Cameron adds, “I feel like, the way she raised us, and seeing everyone come together, just makes me want to love like she did. She would help people. Makes me want to love on my daughter more. Like, if I’m holding her, I feel like my mom’s holding her.”
The State Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation into Connie Ridgeway’s death. We also spoke to Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton. He says his office is actively pursuing the case. If you have any information, whether you think it is significant or not, please call the Laurdale County Sheriff’s Office at 256-760-5757 or the State Bureau of Investigation at 1 (800) 392-8011.
There is a Facebook page setup for a community of people actively seeking justice for Connie.
