Autumn Diane Brookae Shanks, 21, was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head in her Ridgeland apartment in the early hours of February 7, 2025. Officers went to the Pinebrook Apartment Complex on Pine Knoll Drive shortly before 2:00 a.m. after a call about a gunshot. They discovered Autumn deceased in her bedroom and took 23-year-old Dannquarious Deuntea Byest into custody at the scene.

Byest has been charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bond at the Madison County Detention Center. Family described Autumn as shy, ambitious and kind; her father, Orlando Shanks, called her a vibrant person loved by everyone and said he had not known how dangerous her situation had become. Friends and family held a balloon release at Terry High School, releasing pink and blue balloons in her memory.

Does anyone have information about Autumn’s time at the Pinebrook complex or about her relationship that could help investigators?