Brenda Michelle Gee Knight, a 34-year-old Black beautician and mother of three, was last seen by her sister in Richmond, Virginia, around Thanksgiving in the autumn of 2000. Friends and family say she had fallen into a difficult period, and her disappearance was not reported to authorities until 2004.

On June 29, 2001, human remains were found along the banks of the Mattaponi River in King and Queen County and became known as the Mattaponi River Lady. In February 2013 a DNA sample from Knight’s daughter produced a positive identification. An examination of the remains determined the death was a homicide.

No arrests have been announced and no suspects have been publicly identified; the investigation remains open and unsolved. If anyone knew Brenda, saw her around Richmond in late 2000, or has information about the Mattaponi River discovery, please come forward.