INDIANAPOLIS -- Police are investigating any possible links between the deaths of a beloved roller derby coach and a veteran in the same south side apartment complex over a two-month period.
Last week would've been Kobi Walden's 32nd birthday. His family honored him by visiting his gravesite.
"He meant the absolute world to me," Walden's sister Kala Klein said. "I miss him so much."
Walden's body was found on May 2 in the 1400 block of Weber Drive with multiple gunshot wounds.
His former roller derby teammates also honored his memory.
"Most of the guys in one way or another have Kobi on them," said Ron Eich, Walden's former teammate. "We carry a flag with us. Took it to Vancouver and proudly displayed it throughout the tournament."
They also wear No. 47 in various forms, like an armband to every bout.
"It's very difficult because you want answers, you want finality for his family," Eich said.
A little more than a month after Walden was found, the body of Erin Mills, 34, was found in the same area.
Police say Mills was unloading her car after arriving home from a trip when an armed man approached her. Her fiancé was found inside the apartment with at least one gunshot wound.
MORE | Woman shot and killed on Indianapolis' south side identified by IMPD | Family of woman murdered on Indy's south side wants answers
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department detectives say they are following leads in the case, and even looking into the possibility to Walden's death being connected to robberies in the area including the one that killed Wells in June.
"The fact that they were in the same complex makes me question," Klein said.
The reward for tips that lead to an arrest is up to $3,000.
If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact Crime Stoppers at 317-262-8477. You can also text “INDYCS” plus your tip to 274637. Your tip can be reported anonymously.
