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‘A good hearted person’: Loved ones remember Indianapolis mom slain after ordering rideshare

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‘A good hearted person’: Loved ones remember Indianapolis mom slain after ordering rideshare


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She was selfless and would do anything she could to support those she loved. She was a good friend, a good family member. But most importantly, a good mother.

Across the country in states like Georgia and Florida, people were posting pictures and videos of Chanti Bresha Dixon, 30, highlighting how she filled their lives with laughter and positivity.

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“One thing about Chanti, she was a good person,” her cousin Eric Young said. She was always the life of the party and, I’m telling you, she was a mother first.”

She also helped people when they were down, including Young.

More on Indy ride-share slaying: Driver arrested after woman who called for ride found dead Monday

In 2017, Young was exiting an IndyGo bus after getting off work when he ran into Dixon, who he hadn’t seen in a while because she had been traveling.

He’d recently lost his house and was homeless.

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“I was going through a lot,” Young said. “She saw me and immediately picked me up. We talked and she took me to get something to eat before putting some dollars in my pocket.”

Chanti Dixon: Ride-share driver arrested after woman who called for ride found dead Monday

But now, Young along with other family members and friends are reeling.

That good-hearted nature makes Dixon’s loss a devastating blow.

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The mother was found fatally shot in a wooded area near the apartment complex where she lived. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police were called to the 1800 block of Wagner Lane where they found Dixon shot.

Less than 24 hours later, a ride-share driver was arrested on a related murder charge.

Young said it was family members who found her body, hours after filing a missing person report. No one had heard from Dixon since Sunday morning.

“My mom and her mom are first cousins,” Young said. “So my mom called and said she and everybody were at her apartment. They’re the ones who found her.”

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Rideshare driver arrested in Chanti Dixon’s killing

Dixon used the ride-share app Uber on Sunday to request a driver about 3:30 a.m. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police said no one heard from her after the driver picked her up. A missing persons report was filed Monday morning, and Dixon’s body was discovered about 1 p.m. that day.

The ride-share driver, Francisco Valadez, 29, was formally charged Tuesday afternoon.

Information from the rideshare app helped lead police to Valadez.

Chilling motive: Uber driver gave chilling motive for woman’s killing, arrest report reveals

“Our hearts break for Ms. Dixon’s family and loved ones in the midst of this tragedy,” Uber said in a statement to IndyStar. “The details of this act of violence are atrocious.” The company vowed to assist Indianapolis police in their investigation.

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“This is disgusting,” Indianapolis Police Chief Chris Bailey said during a Tuesday news conference. “This woman is gone from the world unnecessarily by an evil act, and I’m glad that we were able to find this individual as quickly as we did so that he didn’t have an opportunity to perpetuate violence further in our community.”

Police are asking people who have had suspicious encounters with a ride-share driver during the past few months to share their stories.

‘If it wasn’t going to be her, it would have been someone else’

Dixon’s family and loved ones are keeping her story alive through the memories shared as they take time to process their loss.

Young hates that the killing was seemingly random.

“If it wasn’t going to be her, it would have been someone else,” Young said. “I just want justice. I want justice for her and I want justice for our family. I really want justice for her son.”

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Indianapolis Metropolitan Police are asking people who may have more information on Dixon or the rideshare driver to contact the department’s homicide office at 317-327-3475 or Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS (8477).

Jade Jackson is a Public Safety Reporter for the Indianapolis Star. Email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formally known as Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.



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Indianapolis Democrat Andrea Hunley to seek bid for mayor’s job in 2027

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Indianapolis Democrat Andrea Hunley to seek bid for mayor’s job in 2027


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — State Sen. Andrea Hunley, a Democrat representing Indianapolis, has announced her candidacy for a bid to run for mayor of Indianapolis in 2027.

Hunley, who had previously teased a mayoral run, has scheduled a launch event for May 8 as her official kickoff her campaign to lead the city, said her campaign website. The Assistant Minority Leader in the Senate announced in January that she would not seek another term in the Indiana Senate, to which she was elected in 2022.

Hunley’s website says, “Indianapolis is my city. Our city. As someone who knows this city, someone who has served this community as a public school teacher leading our children and supporting families, I am committed to the future of the people of Indianapolis.

“Indianapolis is the economic driver and a key cultural hub for our state. Our city boasts creative entrepreneurs and long-standing local businesses, vibrant neighborhoods and corporate headquarters, community-centered nonprofits and public schools. I aim to champion a better quality of life by listening to and working alongside the people, businesses and neighborhoods that make up our great city.”

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Mayor Joe Hogsett has not disclosed if he’s seeking a fourth four-year term.

City-County Council Member Vop Osili in January announced his campaign for the Democratic nomination.

In the same month, Pike Township Trustee Annette Johnson announced her intention to seek the Democratic nomination to run for mayor. She’s running this year to continue in the trustee’s job, which she has held since 2019.

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, who had been mentioned as a possible Democratic candidate for mayor, announced in January he would seek another four-year term this year for his current job. However, he did not rule out running for the Democratic bid for mayor in 2027.

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Louisville native set to make debut in Indianapolis 500

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Louisville native set to make debut in Indianapolis 500


LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – While Louisville is famous for one race in May, a Derby City native is set to make his first appearance in a different iconic May race.

Jacob Abel will be making his first appearance in the Indianapolis 500 on May 24, racing for Abel Motorsports, founded by his father, Bill Abel.

“I am excited and grateful to be able to return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to have a shot at the Indianapolis 500. It’s been a lifelong dream to compete in that race and to have the opportunity to do it with Abel Motorsports and Chevrolet makes it even more special,” Jacob said.

Both Abels, the driver and the team, had breakout years in 2024 with three pole positions and three wins in the INDY NXT drivers’ championship, propelling the 25-year-old driver to the NTT INDYCAR Series the following year.

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Practice for the 110th Indianapolis 500 begins on Tuesday, May 12 with qualifying being held on May 16 and May 17. The race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway goes green on May 24, coverage begins at 10 a.m.

Copyright 2026 WAVE. All rights reserved.



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IMPD: Man stabbed in downtown Indianapolis

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IMPD: Man stabbed in downtown Indianapolis


INDIANAPOLIS — A person was stabbed in downtown Indianapolis Sunday evening.

According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the intersection of East Market and North Delaware Streets around 8:28 p.m. to investigate a stabbing. When police arrived at the scene, they located an adult male victim with apparent stab wounds.

Photo of IMPD investigating a stabbing at the intersection of East Market and North Delaware Streets on April 19, 2026, captured by a FOX59/CBS4 crew.

IMPD has confirmed that the victim was transported from the scene to a local hospital in critical but stable condition.

Investigators believe the stabbing “stemmed from a disturbance between multiple individuals and the victim.”

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IMPD has reported that it has not identified or detained any suspects or persons of interest at this point in its investigation of the stabbing. Police have indicated that they are hoping witnesses come forward with information that can help them identify or locate the suspects.

“The officers now are doing a complete investigation,” IMPD Lieutenant Frank Wooten said during a media briefing Sunday night. “They’re going to investigate this to the best of their ability. We’re going to try to locate our suspect, arrest the suspect, prosecute the suspect and hold that suspect accountable for this heinous crime in Indianapolis. This is not an indication of what our city is about. This is not an indication of what we do downtown, and we hold this to be very serious. So, we will hold whoever did this responsible for their actions tonight.”

Sunday night’s stabbing represented a continuation of a violent weekend in downtown Indianapolis.

Early Sunday morning, two men were critically injured in a shooting near a White Castle on South Street. Before that shooting occurred, police arrested two juveniles on gun charges at Monument Circle.

Police also conducted a shooting investigation near the Hilton hotel located at 120 W. Market St. around 4 a.m. Sunday. Nobody was injured in that shooting.

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Elsewhere in the city, a person was injured in a shooting in a CVS parking lot on Kentucky Avenue Saturday evening. Another individual was killed in a shooting outside a residence in the 2300 block of South Pennsylvania Street Saturday night.

Public police reporting systems indicate IMPD has investigated nine shootings that caused injuries since midnight Saturday. During that same timeframe, IMPD has investigated six shootings that did not result in any injuries and five stabbings.

Numbers available on shootings and stabbings in IMPD’s public reporting system may not be complete, as some reports on weekend shootings and stabbings may not have been entered yet.

“This is not what we want Indianapolis to be,” Wooten said. “This is not what we expect out of the citizens of Indianapolis. We expect them to be safe, come downtown and have a good time, and be able to go home the same way they came down here. So, we will hold these suspects, once located, accountable for this crime.”

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