Jameika Quinesha Jackson was 20 years old when she died on Tuesday, April 18, 2006, in Florence-Firestone. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, she died of stab wounds at the rear of 1432 Florence Ave. Her death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department case.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report described her as "a 20-year-old black female" who "died Tuesday, April 18, after being stabbed in Florence-Firestone." That brief entry, drawn from coroner's records, is nearly everything that has been made public about her death. The address in the record refers to the rear of a property on Florence Avenue, which suggests that she may have been found behind a building rather than on the street itself, but the record does not explain further.
Beyond her name, her age and the place where she died, almost nothing about Jameika Quinesha Jackson has been made public.
No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet appears to have reported on the death. She surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember who she was, but none of that has entered the public record.
Because so little has been released, even the basic circumstances remain unknown to the public. The record does not say whether she was stabbed during a fight or a robbery, attacked by a stranger or by someone she knew, or hurt indoors or on the street. It does not say what time of day she was hurt, whether she died at the scene or later at a hospital, whether anyone saw what happened, or whether investigators ever identified a suspect.
Jameika Jackson is an uncommon name, but searches still turn up other women who share it, including a Canadian sprinter, a writer for a track and field website, and a woman in Tennessee. None of them can be connected to this death. Her middle name, Quinesha, is rare, and anyone who knew her would likely recognize her full name. A young woman of 20 almost certainly left behind parents, siblings and friends who still remember her.
Florence-Firestone is a densely populated unincorporated community in South Los Angeles County, just south of the city of Los Angeles. Because it is not part of any city, it is policed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Florence Avenue is one of its main east-west streets, lined with shops, small businesses, homes and apartments, and the Metro light rail line between downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach runs through the community. On a busy street like Florence Avenue, someone may have seen a young woman in the area that day, or noticed who she was with.
Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Jameika Quinesha Jackson could be found in news archives or public records. More than 19 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was on or near Florence Avenue in Florence-Firestone in April 2006, or who knew Jameika Jackson and spent time with her in the days before her death, may hold information that could help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
