JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Heinous. Cruel. Incomprehensible.
It’s been six years since the remains of 20-year-old Quasean Trotter, his fiancée, 19-year-old Ariyan Johnson, and their 10-month-old daughter, Arielle, were found by police in a burned-down home in Arlington.
Editor’s Note: The remainder of this article includes details that some might find disturbing. Discretion is advised.
Trotter and Johnson had been shot to death.
Arielle was left to suffer and die of smoke inhalation after the house on India Avenue was set on fire.
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Detective Travis Oliver Sr. calls it one of the worst cases he’s had to work in his 20-year career.
JSO is drawing new attention to the Dec. 12, 2017, cold case by releasing heart-wrenching video of never-before-seen evidence in the case. The disturbing video on YouTube (discretion advised) includes images of the outline of baby Arielle’s body, surrounded by soot.
Oliver said what the haunting outline revealed to investigators was that, at some point, Arielle was likely toddling toward where her mother lay dead when she collapsed facedown as her lungs filled with the acrid smoke.
“She suffered the most in this case,” Oliver said.
Arielle’s parents likely died quickly, Oliver said. Arielle did not.
“Whatever this suspect had going on with the adult victims had nothing to do with the 10-month-old child. She was completely innocent,” Oliver said. “She wasn’t even old enough to identify them, tell anybody what happened or anything. So, it just puzzles us as to why someone could be so cruel to hurt a baby.”
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Oliver, a detective with the JSO Cold Case Unit, said highlighting the heinous nature of Arielle’s death has a purpose: investigators are hoping it will spur someone to come forward with information about what happened that night.
Oliver said there were no signs of forced entry to the home, and investigators believe there are still witnesses in the neighborhood who know what happened but won’t talk to police.
Trotter’s father, Andrew Trotter, said his family will not stop until the killer of his son’s family is off the streets.
“They’re running loose right now. And we don’t know who they are, what they’re doing. And they could be taking more lives,” Andrew Trotter said. “Those killers that went into that house didn’t have a bit of heart because for you to hurt a 10-month-old baby that’s just wrong. We don’t want those types of people walking around in our society today.”
Oliver said the investigators are taking this case personally.
“Every one of us are either parents, some of us are grandparents that have children or grandchildren the age of this baby,” Oliver said. “So it’s very personal to us.”
Oliver said at this point, investigators have exhausted their leads, and now it’s up to the community to come forward to bring closure to the loved ones of Quasean, Ariyan and little Arielle.
Andrew Trotter said he hopes someone will have a heart and come forward.
“If you know anything about this case, everything counts,” Andrew Trotter said.
Tom Hackney, a retired director at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, told News4JAX that those who want to remain anonymous should consider CrimeStoppers.
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.”
Anyone with information is asked to 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, call First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS or text **8477.”