One year later, police still searching for Warwick woman’s killer

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — It’s been a year since 24-year-old Miya Brophy-Baermann was gunned down during a night out with friends in Providence.

Brophy-Baermann, who had just graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in speech pathology, was on the sidewalk saying goodbye to a friend when she was killed in a drive-by shooting. Investigators don’t believe she was the intended target.

No arrests have been made, but that doesn’t mean the Providence Police Department has given up on finding those responsible for her death.

Major David Lapatin tells 12 News Brophy-Baermann’s case remains open.

“We haven’t put the case down,” he said. “We haven’t forgotten this incident and we are working hard to try and make an arrest.”

Lapatin said the detectives assigned to the case are determined to bring Brophy-Baermann’s family closure.

“Some cases take a little longer to solve,” he said. “Let’s just hope we do make an arrest in this case, and that whoever did this pays for it.”

There is currently a $100,000 reward for anyone who can provide information that leads to an arrest.

In the wake of their daughter’s death, Brophy-Baermann’s parents created a scholarship fund in her name which will provide financial assistance to traditionally underrepresented students studying communicative disorders.

“She was always supportive of anybody in need,” her mother Michelle previously told 12 News. “She worked super hard.”

Her parents revealed Monday the inaugural Miya D. Brophy-Baermann Memorial Scholarship winners, who will each receive $1,532 toward their education.

The scholarship fund has raised nearly $75,000 since its inception. Her parents expressed their appreciation for the support they’ve received in the wake of their daughter’s death.

“Without you, this would never have happened,” her parents wrote. “Your donations not only made these scholarships a reality, they have brought us immeasurable comfort.”