Connie Land, left, is shown with Metro Police officers in front of Metro’s headquarters, Nov. 15, 2017. Authorities and the Land family are trying to drum up leads in the 2016 murders of Sydney Land, 21, and Nehemiah Kauffman, 20, who were found shot to death in their west valley apartment.
Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017 | 10 p.m.
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Every day since a concerned friend made a ghastly discovery a year ago in an upscale west valley apartment has weighed heavily on Sydney Land's family.
“It’s like you’re carrying a bag of rocks with you everywhere you go,” said Connie Land, the 21-year-old's mother. “You don’t ever leave it; it doesn’t ever go away. Some days it’s just harder to pull than other days.”
Sydney Land’s love for children had inspired her to consider a career in the medical field as she navigated her way back to school, her mother said, but that dream was shattered by gunfire in October 2016.
Leads in the deaths of Land and her boyfriend, Nehemiah Kauffman, 20, haven’t drawn detectives any closer to a suspect, so authorities and the woman's family on Wednesday afternoon gathered in front of Metro Police’s headquarters to plead for the public’s help.
The family's anguish began on Oct. 27, 2016. “Two very young people were murdered," Metro homicide unit Lt. Dan McGrath said. "Brutally murdered inside their own apartment.”
The young couple formed part of a tight-knit group, and when they hadn't been heard from, one of the friends went to the couple's place in the Union Apartment Homes, 4550 S. Hualapai Way, south of Flamingo Road.
There he found a body in the living room and the other in a bedroom. Both Land and Kauffman had been shot and killed for several hours, police said.
Officers responded about 12:40 p.m. Detectives that day discovered that whoever killed the couple had been let in as there was no forced entry. A murder-suicide also was ruled out.
Kauffman may have been targeted and his associations have been explored, but investigators have not found a motive nor suspect in the shooting, McGrath said.
“Sydney Land was an innocent victim," McGrath said. "If she was not with (Kauffman) she may not have been a victim of this."
One of Kauffman's associates, Shane Valentine, became a person of interest in the double murder because Valentine had made threats and shot into Kauffman's mother house. He has since been arrested in California, brought to Las Vegas, and is jailed on unrelated charges, McGrath said. “At this time we can say he is not our suspect."
Police hope that Wednesday's briefing prompts someone to open up. “It would be unusual if somebody didn’t know something,” McGrath said. The case is discussed often and Metro's leadership has inquired about updates, he added.
“Today is about Sydney and this is a plea for information to come forward," Connie Land said. It's been a year of no resolution, peace, and it's disheartening for a parent to know that the case hasn't been solved, she added.
“After a year people forget who these victims are,” she said.
Standing behind a microphone, Connie Land was stern but struggled to maintain her composure as she spoke about her gentle, strong and loving daughter. "She loved everyone unconditionally and she would say, 'Mom, why can't you just love people for who they are and why can't you just see the best in people'?"
Anyone with information is asked to contact Metro at 702-828-3521 or via email at [email protected]. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or online at crimestoppesrofnv.com
