Indianapolis homicide victim’s mother growing frustrated as case remains unsolved

INDIANAPOLIS — Taylor Jay Miller, 21, was shot to death on Feb. 15, 2023, in the 900 block of North Somerset Avenue.

Ashley Parman told FOX59 and CBS4 that, in the early days of the investigation, it was up to her to walk the streets and hunt for clues to her son’s killing, find homes with security video and track down the original 911 caller for the detective.

”They haven’t told me anything,” Parman said. “She said that there’s not a lot of time spent on the case. I’m not sure why. They can follow the leads, they can get camera footage. Sixty days is a long time to go with nobody working on a case right after a murder, so that was frustrating.”

Parman said her son showed an aptitude for fixing things growing up.

”Since Taylor was little, he was always fixing things. He was always watching his dad fixing things. So, since he grew up, he knew how to do a lot of things.”

That’s why Miller and his uncle, Christopher Miller, were in Haughville the day of Miller’s death. A rental company called them to the area to fix a toilet.

”He actually didn’t get out of the truck that day,” said Parman. “His uncle was the one that went inside to do the repairs, but they weren’t able to do the repairs.”

Miller and his uncle were unable to do the repairs because the house was so filthy and overrun by insects that the plumbers chose not to undertake the job. Miller and his uncle were so concerned about the children living in the building that they drove a few blocks from the rental unit and stopped on Somerset Avenue to call their boss and ask what to do.

”Taylor’s standing outside the truck, and he’s trying to call and get ahold of his boss, which he gets ahold of his boss, and he’s on the phone with him when he gets shot,” said Parman. “I believe he said to his boss, ‘They shot me,’ talking about the guys that ran up behind the truck.”

Miller’s uncle was wounded when he stepped out of the truck at the sound of gunfire.

“Nobody was robbed,” Parman said when asked if police have identified a motive for the shooting. “It was just run up, shoot and then they went to run. ”They ran, hopped the fence and went back in the alley.”

Parman said she has spoken to a supervisor in IMPD’s homicide branch and asked for another detective to be assigned to her son’s case while the original detective has taken personal leaves of absence.

The detective has been assigned 12 other homicides in the last two years and has cleared a third of her cases.

Parman said the detective told her she’d like to talk to a witness who has refused to cooperate in the investigation.

Police are still asking those with information on Miller’s death two years ago in Haughville to call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (317) 262-8477.