She left her Chicago home before dawn for a regular 5 a.m. church service. Around the same time, officers were called to an alley behind that home, where they found her body with multiple gunshot wounds.
Authorities say the victim was 36-year-old Kiara Jenkins, a mother of five from the Woodlawn neighborhood on the citys South Side. Her family told local media she was heading to the early morning service at Mt. Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church when she was killed, and that she had been preparing to celebrate her 37th birthday in the coming days.
An Early Morning Ritual Turned Crime Scene
The killing occurred in the early hours of a Sunday in Woodlawn, a neighborhood that sits a short drive from the University of Chicago and the planned Obama Presidential Center. According to a report from Law & Crime, Jenkins regularly attended the 5 a.m. service at Mt. Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church.
Members of the congregation and relatives told CBS Chicago station WBBM that early morning worship was part of Jenkins’ weekly routine. They described her as deeply committed to her faith and closely involved with her church community.
What is publicly known about her final movements comes mostly from those relatives and churchgoers. They say she left for church as usual that Sunday. Police have not released a detailed timeline of when she left the house or how much time passed before she was discovered.
Chicago police said officers responding to a call shortly after 4:30 a.m. found Jenkins in an alley near 64th Street and Drexel Avenue behind her home. She had been shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the account summarized by Law & Crime.
What Police Have Said So Far
As of the most recent reporting from Law & Crime and WBBM, Chicago police have not announced an arrest in the case. They have also not publicly identified a suspect or person of interest, and they have not released any information about a possible motive.
According to the Law & Crime report, authorities have said:
Item 1: Jenkins was found with multiple gunshot wounds in an alley behind her residence near 64th Street and Drexel Avenue.
Item 2: The discovery occurred a little after 4:30 a.m.
Item 3: A reward of $10,000 is being offered for information leading to the person or people responsible.
The outlet did not specify which agency is funding the reward or through which tip line it is being coordinated. Chicago police frequently partner with Cook County Crime Stoppers and local community organizations on reward efforts, but no public document detailing the terms of this particular reward has been posted by the department on its main news or social media channels.
Police have also not released information about whether they believe Jenkins was targeted or whether the shooting may have been random. No public statements describe any recovered weapon, video footage, or vehicle associated with the killing. If detectives have identified investigative leads, they have not shared them beyond general calls for tips.
Grief In Public View
In the days after the shooting, family members turned to social media to both remember Jenkins and plead for justice. Their posts provide some of the most detailed public descriptions of her life and the impact of her death.
The city of Chicago and all who knew her are mourning the heartbreaking loss of Kiara Jenkins… https://t.co/gbOvr1cxyG pic.twitter.com/nNrXCSas4x
— honoredlives news (@honoredliv50372) January 19, 2026
On Facebook, a relative wrote, quoted by Law & Crime, that the killing was “not fair at all.” Another family member described the disorienting experience of seeing the kind of post they had once only read about other families.
“I see these post all the time and immediately pray for the family and feel sad for them…now it’s my family and it hurts so bad!” one relative wrote, according to screenshots cited in the same article. “She didn’t deserve this! Lord help my family.”
Another loved one addressed Jenkins directly in a public post. “Kiara, my sweet beautiful girl, this is so unreal. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up and it will just be a bad dream. Anyone whoever met you, right away knew you were special. I love you … and you will forever be in my heart. This hurts so bad and I’m struggling with the pain of losing you.”
According to WBBM, Jenkins’ children range in age from a college freshman to a ten-year-old. Relatives told reporters she had been looking forward to celebrating her 37th birthday later that week.
A Neighborhood Leader Calls It A “Senseless Act”
The shooting also drew a response from the local alderwoman, who represents parts of Woodlawn in Chicago’s City Council. Jeanette Taylor, the 20th Ward alderwoman, posted a public statement on Facebook, which Law & Crime linked to and quoted.
“This was a senseless act of violence that never should have happened,” Taylor wrote. “This tragedy has shaken our community deeply.”
Taylor did not provide additional details about the investigation or describe any specific policy steps in response. Her statement focused instead on condolences for the family and a broad condemnation of gun violence in the community.
For residents who walk to work, to transit stops, or to worship services in the early morning hours, the lack of clarity about what happened to Jenkins can deepen unease. Without public information about a suspect or motive, community members are left with the knowledge that a woman simply heading to church was killed outside her own home and that the case remains unsolved.
Silences And Open Questions
Much about the killing of Kiara Jenkins remains unknown to the public. Based on available reporting, authorities have not said:
Item 1: Whether they believe the shooter knew Jenkins personally.
Item 2: Whether robbery, domestic conflict, or any other specific circumstance is suspected.
Item 3: Whether nearby security cameras or doorbell cameras captured the shooting or a suspect.Chicago police often withhold detailed information in open homicide investigations to avoid compromising potential prosecutions. That can be a necessary investigative choice. It also means families and neighbors may wait months or years without answers, unless an arrest or major development is announced.
In this case, the basic facts that are publicly documented are stark. A 36-year-old mother of five, described by relatives as “loving” and “very religious,” left home for her usual 5 a.m. church service. She was found minutes later in the alley behind that home with fatal gunshot wounds. As of the latest reporting from Law & Crime and WBBM, no suspect has been publicly identified and no arrest has been made.
For her family and for a congregation that expected to see her in the pews that morning, the unanswered questions are immediate and personal. Until investigators disclose more or announce a break in the case, the public record contains a narrow but chilling outline, with the crucial details of who pulled the trigger and why still withheld or still unknown.
