Deroshia Matthews

Deroshia Matthews is remembered as a young mother and member of her Omaha neighborhood whose everyday life centered on family and caring for children. At 26 she raised her son, Kamal, who was seven years old at the time he and his mother were found deceased on April 24, 1979. Those public records and later reporting identify Deroshia as a single mother who worked in her community as a school crossing guard — a role that speaks to a willingness to help and protect the children of her neighborhood.

Public reporting spanning decades shows that Deroshia lived on Binney Street in Omaha and was known locally; her son attended the nearby elementary school and delivered newspapers. Her community ties — as a neighbor, a mother, and someone who helped children get to school safely — are the clearest, human details available in contemporary sources.

For many years the circumstances of Deroshia’s death remained unresolved. The loss left a long shadow for family and friends who sought answers. Investigators continued to pursue the matter across decades, and reporting indicates there were renewed legal actions and arrests related to the 1979 deaths in both 2004 and again in 2025. While those developments relate to the pursuit of accountability, they are only part of Deroshia’s story; they should not eclipse the fact that she was a person who cared for her child and served her community.

Public records and news coverage provide limited personal detail beyond her age, parental role, and work as a crossing guard. That limited record should not be read as a lack of meaning. Even with sparse public information, Deroshia’s role as a mother and community caregiver endures in the memory of Omaha neighbors and the historical record. This page honors her as a real person whose life mattered to her family and community, and it recognizes the love she gave her son, Kamal, whose life is remembered alongside hers.