Last week, in Dalton, Georgia, a man killed his estranged wife and his pregnant lover before committing suicide. It was a terrible murder. Three families have been broken up by the terrible event, and people in the community are still looking for answers.
Early in the morning on May 21, Kevin Andrew Akins, 37, went to the Murray Avenue apartment of his 35-year-old ex-wife, Rebeca Nicole Akins. Police reports say that he shot and killed her inside the house. Concerned coworkers noticed that Rebeca hadn’t shown up for work or answered the phone for more than two days before her body was found. Police were called to check on the person’s well-being and got into the room with help from the staff. When police found her, she seemed to have been shot in the head.
Akins was seen leaving the scene of the crime around 6 a.m. on surveillance video from the area, but the reason for the killing is still unknown.
After the accident, Rebeca’s family wrote on GoFundMe about how sad it was that someone she had been with for over 20 years killed her. They described her as a lovely woman who had been taken by tragedy. “She had the nicest heart and was full of love and light,” her sister wrote. “We want to honor her life and the joy she brought to everyone who knew her.”
The terrible thing didn’t end there, though.
Later, police found out that Akins had gone about four miles across town to an apartment on Shadow Lane where his lover, Cindel Mae Rhoden, who is 33 years old, lived. Rhoden loved being a mom and had two little girls. When she died, she was five months pregnant with a boy.
Police found Rhoden dead in her flat after she had been shot. Following this, Akins killed himself with the gun in the same place. The bodies were found in a tough situation: cops were waiting for a search warrant to go into the apartment on May 24 when Rhoden’s father showed up out of the blue. He used a key to get in and saw the terrible scene right away. He then called 911.
Since then, Cindel’s family and friends have started a fundraiser to help her kids, who are now with family. The message for the fundraiser talks about a woman who was full of life and love and worked hard to give her girls a stable home. The fundraiser says, “Her children have lost their mother and unborn brother in a moment that none of us can fully understand.” “As they deal with this unbearable loss, we hope to help meet their needs and secure their future.”
The deaths have effects that go beyond the immediate sorrow. Rebeca’s family says that many of her finances, including life insurance plans, were linked to Akins’. Because of what happened, they don’t know if these benefits will cover other costs like funeral costs. In honor of Rebeca, we want to hold a service that honors her kindness, joy, and the love she freely gave,” her sister said.
The Dalton Police Department hasn’t said anything public about why the shootings happened, and the investigation is still going on. People in the neighborhood are shocked, sad, and have questions.
This event shows what terrible things can happen when personal disagreements turn deadly. It shows how important mental health tools and help for people in bad relationships are.
People in the area are getting together to remember Rebeca Nicole Akins and Cindel Mae Rhoden, two women who were killed way too soon along with the unborn child they were hoping to have. The families are sad and want to find peace.
There are national and local hotlines and support groups that can help you or someone you know who is dealing with relationship violence or mental distress.
