Louisville, Kentucky | February 6, 2000
For 26 years, Nichole Gowdy’s family has lived with unanswered questions.
Twenty-six years of wondering who pulled the trigger.
Twenty-six years of wondering who ordered the killings.
Twenty-six years of waiting for the phone call that has never come.
Nichole’s sister, Tia Shumake, reached out to The Vivid Faces of the Vanished because she refuses to let her sister and James Overall be forgotten. Her family is still searching for the truth, still grieving, and still hoping that someone will finally come forward.
A Double Homicide on a Front Porch
In the early morning hours of February 6, 2000, gunfire shattered the quiet of a west Louisville neighborhood.
Neighbors were awakened by the sound of multiple shots fired.
When Louisville police arrived, they found James Overall and Nichole Gowdy dead on the front porch of a home.
According to Nichole’s sister, the two had been entering a house belonging to Damon Sheckles when someone came from behind the residence and opened fire.
James was killed almost immediately.
Nichole tried to run.
According to her sister, she begged the shooters not to kill her.
They shot her anyway.
Her autopsy revealed she had been shot 16 times at close range.
Her family says the bullets tore through her body long after she was no longer able to defend herself.
Questions That Remain
For years, rumors have circulated throughout the community that the attack was a case of mistaken identity.
According to the family, many believed the intended targets were Damon Sheckles and Melissa Foree, and that James and Nichole were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Just two weeks later, tragedy struck again.
Melissa Foree and her daughter were killed inside their home, which was then set on fire.
Another child inside the home died from smoke inhalation.
Nichole’s family believes the two cases may be connected, although no one has ever been charged in connection with the murders of Nichole and James.
The person many in the community believe arranged the killings is currently incarcerated for an unrelated crime, but not for the deaths of Nichole or James.
According to the family, investigators have indicated they need the shooters themselves to identify who hired them before they can move the case forward.
More than two decades later, no arrests have been made.
No public suspects have been identified.
Nichole’s sister says the family has received no meaningful updates despite repeatedly reaching out.
A Sister’s Plea
In her words:
“It’s been 26 years… no answers, no follow-up calls. I call and they say basically they have nothing. I wanna say, ‘You have nothing, and you ain’t trying to get nothing.’ But at this point it’s been 26 years, and Louisville has lost so many young people that they couldn’t possibly have enough manpower to cover all these murders. Times have changed since I was younger, and it’s worse than it’s ever been.”
She also shared the pain her family has carried every day since that morning:
“My mom says she will never know her two boys whom were left motherless will never know. One thing I do know is that God knows, and he or she will have to answer to God on judgment day. It’s been 26 years. We miss and love her. We all—sisters and brothers included—would love to see this person punished.”
If you have any information regarding the murders of Nichole Gowdy and James Overall, no matter how small it may seem, please contact the Louisville Metro Police Department Homicide Unit at (502) 574-7141, Crime Stoppers anonymously at (502) 582-2583, or submit a tip through the P3 Tips app.
Twenty-six years is far too long for a family to wait.
Someone still knows what happened on that porch.
© The Vivid Faces of the Vanished
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