Arrest made in murder of missing Louisville woman found 'obviously deceased' near Buechel

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- More than two months after a missing Louisville woman was found shot to death, an arrest has been made in her murder.

Latasha "Tasha" White, 49, was last seen April 27 in the city's Park Hill neighborhood. Her family said her car, wallet, ID and cellphone were found at her home, but her keys were missing and the cameras at her home were off, which they said was unusual.

White's family filed a missing persons report May 1. She was found shot to death less than a week later.

LMPD responded to the 4400 block of Newport Road just after 4 p.m. May 7 on a report of a person down. That's off Fegenbush Lane, not far from GE Appliance Park, near the Buechel neighborhood. Once on scene, they found a woman who was "obviously deceased" from a gunshot wound.

The next day, White's family identified her as the victim. As they continued pushing for answers in her disappearance and her murder, LMPD was looking for her killer.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said during a news conference Tuesday that someone had been arrested in the case. But that person, who has not yet been named, is not in Louisville Metro Police custody.

WDRB asked police for more details about the suspect, but no other information has been released. A spokesperson for LMPD said information would be shared when it becomes available.

LMPD faced scrutiny over its handling of the case and questions were raised about the timeline between White's disappearance and her death. But the department has defended its investigation.

White's family said when they took their concerns to LMPD to file a missing persons report, they wouldn't listen.

"We knew something was wrong because we knew her personality," Arthur Jackson, White's father, said at the time.

Reports of White's disappearance had been circulating on social media when WDRB asked LMPD on May 5 if they had taken a missing persons report for her. A spokesperson for the department responded, "As of this writing, I do not have a Missing Persons report or any information from our records regarding what has been shared on social media about Ms. White."

Two days later, on May 7 around 4 p.m., White was found shot to death. LMPD didn't send a news release to local media outlets about the homicide until after 9 p.m.

Less than three hours prior to that release, around 6:45 p.m., LMPD had confirmed in an email to WDRB that a missing persons report was filed for White on May 1, sent to the Missing Persons Unit and was an open and active investigation.

On May 8, White's family confirmed she was the woman found dead on Newport Road near Buechel.

On May 9, just after 3 p.m., LMPD sent a statement confirming the woman found shot to death was White, and responded to criticism about its handling of the case.

In the statement, LMPD said an officer went to White's home April 30 to conduct a welfare check at the request of her employer because she hadn't shown up for work. No one answered at the home, and LMPD said there were no signs of a struggle or foul play.

On May 2, a detective contacted White's family, following up on the missing persons report they filed May 1. LMPD said her family "did not provide any information that indicated she was in imminent danger, which would have elevated the alert status," and that the information it received "did not meet the criteria for a public alert."

The department said White "removed her own cameras from her home while she was home alone in the early morning hours of April 29.

"Based on the information provided, LMPD had no legal authority to conduct any further searches of her home, her phone, or any other personal property," LMPD's statement continued.

That's where there is a gap in what police have said happened and the account of White's family.

Metro Councilwoman Tammy Hawkins, D-1, was a vocal critic of LMPD's handling of White's case.

"And whatever that reason is, it shorted us the time. Time that they could have been out there searching. Time that they could have been out there in the city, that this young lady was missing," Hawkins said at the time. "But if you look at the timeline, once it got out to the media, they found her. We gotta do better."

LMPD's Homicide Unit is leading the investigation.

Anyone with information in her case, or any other case, is asked to call LMPD's anonymous Crime Tip Line at (502) 574-LMPD (5673). Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the department's Crime Tip Portal by clicking here.

Previous Coverage:

LMPD defends handling of Tasha White case as Metro councilwoman questions timeline

Family members say missing 49-year-old Louisville woman found shot to death

Woman found 'obviously deceased' from gunshot wound near Buechel, Louisville police say

Louisville police investigating disappearance of 49-year-old woman last seen April 27