Family of murdered single mother in Louisville offering $5,000 reward in search for suspect

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It has been more than six months since a single mother was shot and killed in Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood.

Amanda Miller, 37, was shot and killed on May 30, 2023. Louisville Metro Police said officers responded to the parking lot of a CVS on East Broadway, where Miller had been shot several times and died at the hospital.

Her family is still grieving and searching for answers.

"She had a heart of gold. This was her life," said Miller's mother, Valerie Garrett, who said she not only lost her daughter but her best friend.

"Christmas, cookouts, birthday parties, celebrations, we won't have this anymore with Amanda. Everything was together. Everything. And now, I walk around like a lost soul. I don't have my other half."

AMANDA MILLER - HOMCIDE VICTIM MAY 30-2023.jpeg — Single mother Amanda Miller was shot and killed in the parking lot of a CVS on East Broadway in Louisville, Ky. on May 30, 2023. (Image courtesy of family) Jan. 10, 2024

LMPD Detective Tim Huber said detectives have a suspect but don't know where he is. The continue to look for 33-year-old Maurice Byars, who may go by the name "Rayshawn." He's wanted for murder and robbery. LMPD first announced detectives were searching for Byars in connection to this case in September 2023.

"I want to give closure to Amanda's family, her mother, her children," Huber said during a news conference Wednesday. "And Mr. Byars is going to have his day in court."

Police said Miller and Byars were dating. Garrett said the two had only been together three weeks.

"You can't put it into words the pain that we feel every day," she said. "It doesn't get easier. It gets harder every day your feet hit the floor and you know she's not there. She's not going to be there."

She said Miller left behind three children who were her world.

"My grandchildren didn't just lose their mom," she said. "They lost their future."

Those children are now celebrating milestones without their mother.

"Amanda's 16-year-old just had a birthday party, and it was the saddest day for a sweet 16 ever," Garrett said. "I wish the world could see the kind of daughter she was, the kind of person she was."

Miller's family is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads police to the suspect.

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

More Louisville-area Crime Stories:

Family of murdered single mother in Louisville offering $5,000 reward in search for suspect