The death of 44-year-old Laniya Joyce White occurred during a violent weekend in Cahokia Heights, Illinois, that began the night of December 12, 2025. Police were first called to the 3900 block of Walnut Street shortly after 9 p.m. that Friday after a man was found shot inside a parked Toyota RAV4; 67-year-old Bruce A. Mason of Maryville later died at a hospital. A search warrant executed the next afternoon at a Walnut Street residence where Mason was known to visit uncovered White’s body; she had been shot in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives described the two deaths as a targeted attack and treated the victims as acquaintances, noting Mason often parked in White’s driveway. Investigators pursued more than 75 leads and the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis assisted the inquiry. By December 16 authorities had taken a person of interest, 54-year-old Shawn L. Williams of Belleville, into custody; the next day the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office charged him with two counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors told the court that cellphone data placed Williams at the scene for about three hours on the day of the shootings, conflicting with his account that he had only stopped briefly to buy narcotics.

If anyone knew Laniya White, Bruce Mason, or observed activity around the 3900 block of Walnut Street on December 12–13, what information can be shared with investigators?