news-record.com

Editor's note: This story was originally published in the News & Record on Sept. 23, 2007.

GREENSBORO — Gene Brock left Wilmington in the dark Saturday morning, a thousand fliers bearing the image of her slain son riding alongside her in the minivan.

By noon, the fliers were all over southeast Greensboro, showing anyone who would look a picture of a young man wearing a button-down shirt and a confident grin.

It has been 18 months since Jason Haynes was shot in the front yard of his Creek Ridge Road home, and police have no suspects.

But his case has one thing on its side: Gene Brock has no intention of giving up.

“All I have is time. And I will never let go of this,” she said.

“I will never let go until this is solved or at least as long as I’m here on earth.”

She and a small group of family and friends made the trip in the hopes of keeping the case from growing cold.

Their minivan blew a tire just outside of Wilmington as they left after 5 a.m., but they put on a spare and drove the rest of the way to Greensboro.

When they got here, they went to the mobile home park where the 22-year-old Haynes was fatally shot after he returned home from a night out.

They put fliers anywhere they could find a place to stick them, said Keith Brock, Gene’s husband.

The fliers include a reward — $7,000 — and an appeal from Haynes himself.

“Please help my family solve my murder,” the fliers say.

Gene Brock said a few people talked to them as they walked around and wished them luck.

She just hopes someone will take the time to call police if they know something — anything — about what happened early the morning of March 27, 2006.

“It may be small to them, but it might be the break the police need,” she said.

Police Sgt. Debbie Butler said Haynes’ case is not cold, but not much information has been coming in lately.

Efforts like Saturday’s flier distribution might help.

“You never know,” Butler said.

Keith Brock said the group put out about 1,200 fliers around town, including at Four Seasons Town Centre.

The lack of arrest has been frustrating. Gene Brock imagines coming face-to-face with her son’s killer in a courtroom.

Without an arrest, that is just a dream.

Until then, she won’t quit.

“It’s 18 months, and I just want the community to understand,” she said, sweating as she stood in the parking lot near where the killing took place, “his murder is unsolved.”