The young couple were slain in their home while their daughter was spared.
Chasity Candice “Candis” Kyser & David Allen Keller via Facebook
Sheila Kyser had told her daughter that she’d go with her to view properties that morning on the 8th of May 1999. She’d seen Candis, her boyfriend David and their child the night before. Candis and David were 19 years old and had found each other at school. David was working as a plumber and Candis was working towards her G.E.D while looking after their daughter, Kayla.
That night, everything seemed normal and the couple had returned to their home in Fort Mitchell, Alabama.
The next morning, Sheila arrived at her daughter’s home, but when Candis didn’t answer the door, Sheila began to circle the mobile home, looking for signs of life. She found her granddaughter but she appeared to be alone, so she climbed through a window to get into the home.
Walking through the home, Sheila discovered the body of her daughter in the bedroom. She’d been shot. Later, police found David by the front door, and he’d also been gunned down.
Police quickly arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area. The fact that the two year old was still alive was astounding, and it was thought that Candis had hidden her daughter from the intruder before she was killed.
Cigarette butts and empty beer bottles were found near the home, and police were sure they didn’t belong to the young couple. There was no evidence of drug use in the mobile home, leading police to believe that drugs weren’t the cause of their murders. The jewellery that Candis owned was still present at the home, so it was doubtful that it was a burglary gone wrong, either.
Police initially suspected the killings to be a murder-suicide, but a lack of murder weapon inside the trailer quickly quashed that theory and the investigative team went back to the beginning.
A lack of leads or motive meant that the case quickly went cold, and to this day remains unsolved. With a lack of movement in the case, the couple’s now-grown daughter Kayla has taken it upon herself to start a GoFundMe page to pay for a private investigator to help solve the mystery. The page reads;
“I am the daughter of Candis and David. We are hoping to hire a private investigator to help solve my parents unsolved murder. In 1999 they were tragically killed by someone during a home invasion. The case remains unsolved with very little progress since the murders. After much encouragement by members of the community, our family would like to raise enough money to open the case and have it properly investigated. Any donations would help and be very much appreciated by our family. I would like to thank everyone in advanced [sic] for their donations.”
The goal of $10,000 has a long way to go but donations are still rolling in.
Candis and David were gunned down in their home at Branching Pines Mobile Home Park off of 911 Highway 165 in Fort Mitchell, Alabama. It’s believed that their daughter had been left in the home with their dead bodies for around 16 hours before she was found by her grandmother.
Was this a random killing, or is there more to the case than we know? The Facebook page dedicated to the couple pleads with people to come forward.
“Our family needs peace and closure. I know someone out there knows something. What if it were your child or loved one? Please help our family by sharing their story and liking this page. Please contact your local law enforcement if you know anything.”
What were you doing that Saturday, 8th of May 1999? Were you near Fort Mitchell, and saw something unusual?
To this day, there’s a $10,000 reward for information leading to the killers of Candis Kyser and David Keller. Contact the Russell County Sheriff’s Office at 334–298–6535 or at: http://www.rcso.org/investigations.html.