Randisha Love was a typical 17 year old enjoying her junior year at Westlake High School in Fulton County, Georgia, and January 12, 2016 was just another typical Tuesday. Or at least that's house it started.
Randisha headed to school that morning and texted her mother, Katara Hamm, from the bus like she always did.
But the day would take a drastic turn that her family never saw coming.
Katara told Dateline that she didn’t typically text her daughter throughout the school day, since she was a great student who was extremely focused.
Instead, Randisha would call her mother around 4:30 to say she arrived home safe. She called that day like she always did, just to say she was in the house and OK. Katara carried on with her work day, not sensing that anything was out of the ordinary.
Katara and her three younger children had recently moved into the College Park neighborhood with her parents. They were new to the area, and Randisha hadn't met many people yet in the neighborhood, so she mostly kept to herself.
On January 12, 2016, Katara’s parents and one of her sons were in California for a funeral, and the other son was at basketball practice. Randisha was home alone that afternoon, which wouldn't normally be the case.
Randisha didn't answer her mother's phone calls later that evening, but her mother told Dateline she just assumed her daughter didn't hear the phone.
Katara and her son got home at about 9 p.m., and her son went into the house through the unlocked door as she got stuff out of the car.
When Katara caught up to him, she said, “He was standing there with this crazy look on his face, like he was in a daze or something.”
Katara called for her daughter, but her young son simply said, “Mama, she’s right there.”
Randisha was laying in a pool of blood on the floor, completely unresponsive.
Katara said she was afraid someone was in the house still, so she and her son left and called the police. They ran to a nearby church, and the police arrived at their house shortly after then. Unfortunately, Randisha was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to WXIA, the medical examiner’s autopsy report showed that at least three medium-caliber, yellow-metal bullets were recovered from Randisha’s body.
The Fulton County Police Department said nothing was stolen from the home and Randisha had not been sexually assaulted. The motive for the killing is a total mystery to both law enforcement officials and to Randisha's family.
Katara said there was no reason anyone would want to hurt her daughter, who was good natured and a pleasure to be around.
“Randisha was an outgoing young lady. She loved to dance, sing,” her mother, Katara told Dateline. “She just loved to be around people, in general. She loved to smile. She loved school.”
Police are not sure whether Randisha opened the door for somebody she knew from school or the neighborhood, or if somebody got into the house somehow. Katara said her daughter was extremely responsible and would not open the door for a stranger or simply leave the door unlocked, allowing someone to come in.
She thinks her daughter may have known the person who killed her, but it is challenging to say since they were so new to the area.
Anyone with information about Randisha’s case is asked to call the Fulton County Police Department at (404) 613-6529.
