The Iowa City Police Department is continuing to investigate the Dec. 30 death of Christina Blount and asked members of the public with information to come forward to the department in a press release Thursday.
“We’re asking anyone with information about this case to contact us,” Iowa City Police Chief Dustin Liston said in the release. “Help us identify a violent offender and bring justice to Blount’s loved ones.”
Just after 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 30, police responded to a call of shots fired on the 600 Block of South Dodge St. Responding officers found Blount, 38, at the scene. She was then transported to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
A final autopsy report stating Blount’s cause and manner of death has not yet been released by the Johnson County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The release states that Iowa City police officers and investigators have spent hundreds of hours following up on all known leads since Blount’s death. The department is asking anyone in the area of the 600 Block of South Dodge Street with home security cameras to review their footage and send anything relevant to this investigation to Iowa City Police Detective Ryan Wood at [email protected] or to submit a tip through Iowa City Crimestoppers.
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Blount’s death has deeply impacted Shelter House, a local emergency shelter that provides resources to the homeless, where she worked as a service coordinator.
According to a GoFundMe fundraiser created by Royceann Porter, a former Johnson County Supervisor and friend of Blount, Blount first came to Shelter House as a client a decade ago before eventually joining the staff.
“She overcame countless challenges, always working hard to provide a better life for her children. She was a force for good — helping others find warmth, safety, and hope,” the GoFundMe reads.
The fundraiser aims to help provide grief counseling, relocation assistance, school supplies, and basic necessities to Blount’s children, grandchildren, and three additional minors living in her home that she cared for.
“[Blount’s] children, who are part of the Iowa City Community School District, witnessed this horrific tragedy firsthand,” the GoFundMe reads.