Feds Join Search For Killers Of 2 Kids, 2 Adults

INDIANAPOLIS -- Federal agents have joined the search for the killer or killers who took the lives of two mothers and two children Monday night on Indianapolis' north side.

Indianapolis Metro police pledged their full attention to catching those responsible for killing Gina Hunt, 24; her son Jordan Hunt, 23 months; Andrea Yarrell, 24; and Yarrell's daughter Charlii Yarrell, 4 months, in their home in the 3200 block of Hovey Street.

All of the victims were shot multiple times. The children were clutched by their mothers as they were killed, police said.

Officials said that the public is a fully vested partner in the search for justice. Tips have been pouring into police, but they have not named any possible suspects.

"The stepped-up law enforcement presence will stop people involved in other types of crimes," said IMPD Maj. John Conley. "A lot of times, if you stop people involved in other crimes, they come forward with information about crimes such as this one."

Police have increased patrols in the neighborhood where the slayings happened. Street gangs and rampant drug use have overrun the neighborhood, but violent crimes have not been a huge problem in the area until now.

Impromptu Memorial Grows Outside Home

Emotions continue to run high in the neighborhood and residents are uptight because no one has been arrested in the case.

Many people stopped in front of the home Wednesday to pay respects to the victims. From teddy bears to stuffed dogs and rabbits, dozens of toys were placed at the doorstep of the home.

Few are more shaken than Charlene Lewis and Renee Davis, friends of the victims.

Lewis said she happened to have Hunt's daughter at her home at the time of the shootings, sparing her life. Lewis' daughter had been at the Hovey Street home less than a half-hour before shots rang out.

"I was going to leave my baby at this same house the day it happened, but thank God I didn't leave my baby," Lewis said.

"Why did they killed the kids? Why did they have to pay with their life? Davis said as she cried. "What was so important they took their lives and their kids?"

Police said they found drugs, digital scales, weapons, ammunition and a gambling room inside the home, but Lewis and Davis said the adult victims were not involved in anything illicit.

"They weren't drug dealers. They weren't selling nothing. They worked. They went to school. They had kids," Lewis said. "If anything was in this house, it wasn't anything they knew about."

Funeral arrangements were announced for the Hunts. A public viewing is set for Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. at Christ Church Apostolic at 6601 Grandview Drive. The funeral will begin at 11 a.m.