PHOENIX — Since the summer of 2021, the family of 23-year-old Destiny McClain has been waiting for answers in her shooting death.
Four years later, they continue to speak out and fight for justice while sharing their experience with Silent Witness.
The non-profit organization hosted a fundraiser on Thursday in Phoenix, hoping to push forward its mission of community safety and solving crimes.
“Destiny didn’t deserve this,” said McClain’s mom, Brenda Gilliam-Miller. “She was such a good person.”
After years of waiting, Gilliam-Miller describes the feeling of now having answers as a sort of “Groundhog Day” experience.
“To not have any answers. To not have any closure… you just feel lost,” said Gilliam-Miller.
Silent Witness helped host a news conference in July 2021, days after McClain was shot and killed while trying to order at a food truck near 17th Street and McDowell Road.
“Not only do we have that void where we don’t have her, we don’t know why,” said Gilliam-Miller.
Police have released this surveillance video of a vehicle of interest seen leaving the area after the early morning shooting.
“Right now, is an emotional time because it’s coming close to four years,” said Gilliam-Miller.
She spends her time and energy now speaking out about her daughter’s case, but also working to help others. Gilliam-Miller started a foundation, “Our Destiny, Our Future”, creating scholarships and holding backpack drives.
McClain’s mom also shared her daughter’s story Thursday at a fundraising trivia night for Silent Witness.
“I didn’t know what to do,” said Gilliam-Miller about the days just after her daughter’s death. “I didn’t know where to go. I didn’t know about a reward, and Silent Witness, they advocated for me.”
The non-profit organization works with police departments, helping spread the word about McClain’s case and so many other felony cases. Silent Witness offers rewards and helps to gather anonymous tips.
“We just want crimes to be solved, and we want people to feel comfortable in Arizona,” said Board of Directors President Jennifer Clack.
The organization, we’re told, relies on donations and grants to help families across the Valley. Clack said they are also able to help take tips for cases all over Arizona.
She said typically, for a homicide case, they offer a reward of $2,000.
“So if we were to raise $16,000 tonight, that means that we could pay out the rewards for eight homicides within Arizona,” said Clack.
She told ABC15 that each case is different, and sometimes families also help contribute to the reward amount.
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Silent Witness is also pushing to expand beyond what they are known for.
“One of my other focuses is really safety in the community,” said Clack. “So we’re kind of starting a safe and sound initiative.”
They are hoping to help find ways to connect with the community and provide information on how to stay safe.
While the questions Thursday night may have been trivial, the mission and the stories shared are anything but that.
“A lot of people don’t understand that Silent Witness is more than an organization,” said Gilliam-Miller.
McClain’s mom remains hopeful and in touch with the Phoenix Police Department. She’s urging anyone with information to come forward and help her family find closure.
Silent Witness
