NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Seventeen years after the brutal murder of a single South Nashville mother, her daughter is asking long-time Nashvillians for help solving the case.  

Rutta Simon walked along Whitsett Road with News 2 Wednesday, marking the spot of a scene that will forever haunt her. The body of her mother, Freweini Gebremicael, was found shot and lit on fire along Mill Creek.  

Simon marked the spot with a new cross and a Mother’s Day balloon, hoping to draw attention to the case that’s never been solved.  

“It’s very hard. There’s nothing like your mom; I miss her everyday,” Simon said.  

Gebremicael was a single mother and business owner, running a coffee shop on Second Avenue and raising her two children. Simon remembers immigrating to the United States when she was two, her mother wanting to give her a better life. All the more reason she said this murder is so hard to comprehend. 

“There’s lots of questions, mainly why? Like why would you do something like this to my best friend, the one and only mom that I had?” Simon said.  

Simon believes her mom’s murder was a crime of passion. She said female DNA was found under her mom’s fingernails, leading Simon to believe two people may have been involved. 

Anyone living in South Nashville at the time who might have information on this murder is asked to come forward. 

“Turn yourself in. We need closure; the family needs closure, you know? What was done to her was not right at all; she didn’t deserve this,” Simon said. “I don’t understand why someone would take such a precious life away from us.” 

Anyone with information can remain anonymous and may qualify for an $11,000 reward by calling Crime Stoppers at 615-74-CRIME.