Desta Dodson-Byrd was found shot in the head in her driveway in Brierfield, Alabama on February 25, 1999. The murder mystery has never been solved.

On Sunday family and friends of Desta Dodson-Byrd gathered to watch the last video ever taken of her. In the video she is holding her God child. Twelve years after her death, her father watched and wept.
 "Bringing up memories, good memories, but hard ones. I can't do it. I watched her..we were making pictures of her jumping on the trampoline when she was little and she kept saying tell me what to do daddy..and I can't get that out of my mind...I'm sorry. I can't get that out of my mind now," said Ronald Dodson. "We miss her, all of us do. She had a...she had a big heart. And she loved people," said Ronald Dodson.

 "We try to stay busy as much as possible and to try to get it out of our minds, but it's still there. I mean she's with us everywhere we go," said Vonciel Dodson. "I want justice and I want answers."
 
  In an effort to increase public awareness of the case, a group of Desta's friends created a website and arranged for five billboards with information about her case.
 
 "We wanted to  just raise awareness we didn't want people to stop talking about Desta. We did not want to let people forget that here was a person who was lovely and she basically lost her life for no reason," said Nicole Barton. "From what we understand there are some new developments in the case, we do have some new leads and so we feel very positive that something will happen very soon."

"Her  memory still lives on. Everybody is still hopeful and knows that this case will be solved," said Ty Dodson.

  Loved ones are planning to hold a vigil in honor of Desta Dodson-Byrd on February 26th at Linn Park in Birmingham from five to eight p.m. The event is open to the public.

A $30,000 reward is offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Alabama Bureau of Investigation at (205) 553-5531.