DACULA, GA (CBS46) - On Sept. 21, 2009 rain was falling and the water was rising to historic levels across the Metro Atlanta area. But one family remembers that night for another reason; it was the night their loved one was killed. To this day, Maryanne Humphries' death remains unsolved. Surveillance video shows what happened in the Circle K in Douglasville when Humphries tried to wrestle a gun away from the robber and was shot. No one has been able to give police the proof they need to make an arrest in the case, despite a reward worth tens of thousands of dollars. Five years later, Humphries daughter, Karen Kaiser, and granddaughter, Kailyn Kaiser, still grieve her loss. "We think about her on different occasions, and today the hardest," said Karen Kaiser, on the anniversary of her mother's death. Karen Kaiser has processed through the tragedy much differently than her daughter. At first, Karen was angry and looking for someone to blame. "I had a co-worker ask me have I forgiven the person who murdered mom. And I jumped down her throat because I was like why should I?" said Karen Kaiser. But time and reflection upon her faith has changed her heart. "As a Christian, we are forgiven on a daily basis. So, how can I be forgiven, if I can't forgive?" said Karen Kaiser. It's a question Karen's daughter is still not ready to address, as the pain is still too raw. "I'm not like my mom," said Kailyn Kaiser. "It's bad. I don't forgive the person, and frankly, I don't think I ever will." What both of them can agree on, however, is their surprise the lucrative reward has not convinced someone to turn in the person who committed the crime. "It actually would mean a lot," said Kailyn Kaiser. "Then [the open wound] would turn just into a scar. It would hurt every anniversary; every birthday she would have had; or every holiday; but it wouldn't hurt as bad." When Karen Kaiser was asked if she had a message for her mother's killer, she said yes. "I pray for you every day," she said. "I hope you find the forgiveness that you need in you. And I just wish you would come forward and let us heal." Tips can be called in to the Douglas County sheriff's tip line at 678-486-1253.

• published: 22 Sep 2014
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