TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Jul 18, 2025

Nearly four decades after two women’s remains were discovered beneath a Charlotte Avenue home, Metro Nashville Police (MNPD) announced that one of the victims has been identified as 23-year-old Sheila Cummings of Elgin, Illinois. The result comes after Cummings’ daughter contacted MNPD’s Cold Case Unit earlier this year, prompted by online reports of the long-unsolved case. DNA testing confirmed her identity. Cummings and another woman known only as “Little Bit” were reportedly murdered by James Shaffer, who confessed in the 1980s while serving time in Kentucky. The identity of “Little Bit” remains unknown, but investigators are continuing efforts using forensic investigative genetic genealogy, the Nashville Banner reports. MNPD Cold Case Detective Matthew Filter said the department currently has 24 open cases involving unidentified human remains.