20 years after road rage murder that stunned Phoenix, victim's family still searching for justice
PHOENIX - The family of a murdered young nursing student still wants answers, decades after a death that shocked the Valley.
Lynsey Chainhalt, who would have been 40 years old had she lived to the present day, was murdered in Phoenix during the early morning hours of June 14, 2003. According to a Phoenix Police statement released in July 2020, Chainhalt, who was barely 20 years old at the time of her death, was the designated driver for three friends in their way home from a party in the East Valley.
"As they were going northbound on I-17, somebody in a dark colored Tahoe or Blazer threw a beer bottle at them," said Retired Phoenix Police Detective William Schira, in the 2020 statement.
The suspect car, according to the statement, then followed Chainhalt to around 20th Street and Grovers, which is located near Cave Creek Road and Bell. Afterwards, three Hispanic men got out and fired 19 rounds into the victim's car, killing Chainhalt and hurting the others.
"The suspects then fled the scene. There are no known witnesses to the crime, except Lynsey's three surviving friends who were too drunk to be able to identify the shooters," read a portion of the statement.
Chainhalt's mother, Judi Petersen, has been searching for answers ever since. She recently reunited with Silent Witness Sergeant Darren Burch on Burch's law enforcement-driven podcast, Badge Boys, to talk about the case.
"People change, and that burden become insurmountable, and they say I need to say something. They find religion, they find their own families. They get to a point in their lives where they do the right thing for the right reason," said Burch.
Anyone with information should leave an anonymous tip by calling Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS. Spanish speakers can leave an anonymous tip by calling Testigo Silencioso at 480-TESTIGO.
Si tiene alguna información sobre este caso, llame a la línea de Testigo Silencioso (480-TESTIGO, 480-837-8446).
Silent Witness