‘Got to keep the faith’: Loved ones still looking for answers 6 years after family of 3 was murdered in Arlington

Quasean Trotter, his fiancé Ariyan Johnson and their infant daughter Arielle were killed in December 2017

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tuesday marked six years since a tragic triple murder in Arlington.

Quasean Trotter, his fiancé Ariyan Johnson and their infant daughter Arielle were found by police in a burned-down home in December 2017. Trotter and Johnson were shot to death and the little girl burned in a fire that was set in the home.

On Wednesday, the family said they are outraged that there are still no answers, and it appears the case has gone cold.

“It’s definitely frustrating for me. Frustrating for the family, you just got to keep the faith and hope that something’s gonna happen. It’s been six years now and the detectives don’t even call. That’s a cold case now,” Andrew Trotter, Quasean’s father, said.

Trotter said he’s beyond frustrated there’s been no progress in this case. He said he hadn’t heard any updates from police.

“I even asked to have the feds look into the case because there’s a baby involved in that case. And it seems like that sheriff didn’t care about anything,” Trotter said. “Normally, when a child dies of that age they’re ripping the city apart.”

RELATED | 4 years without answers: Family calls for renewed attention in brutal murders of young couple, baby

One thing police may need is a tip, no matter how minor.

News4JAX spoke to Tom Hackney, a retired director at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and said CrimeStoppers is something the public should look at.

If you call, police won’t know you’re the person who gave them the tip — it’s truly anonymous.

“You’ll get some people that are very guarded or very safe about what they do and then some people that can’t help but talk. Again, that’s where the CrimeStoppers comes in,” Hackney said. “Have you overheard something about this case? There was a baby involved, apartment was burned, there’s a lot of high-profile things. If you heard something about someone burning an apartment and a baby dying. That’s the thing to do is pick up that phone to CrimeStoppers.”

MORE | Grandfather says he wants to live to see justice for couple, infant girl slain in 2017 triple murder

All Trotter wants, he said, is someone to get involved in this case.

“We just don’t understand why Jacksonville police department is not acting on this case like it’s supposed to be,” Trotter said.

News4JAX reached out to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office regarding this case and received the following statement:

“As of now, there have been no new developments. Nevertheless, this is still an open investigation. We do ask anyone with information to please contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at 904-630-0500 or via email at JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org. To remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward, please call First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS or text **8477.”


About the Author

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.

Recommended Videos