Cheyanne Willis (left) was shot at her "gender reveal" party. Source / Facebook/Cheyanne Babiee
Cheyanne Willis (left) was shot at her "gender reveal" party. Source / Facebook/Cheyanne Babiee
The investigation into a deadly shooting at a suburban Cincinnati gender-reveal party has taken a strange turn.
Colerain police say the woman who was the focus of the party, Cheyanne Willis, wasn't even pregnant at the time of the event despite posting on Facebook that she was expecting a boy, the Daily Mail reports.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Colerain Police Chief Mark Denney says police don't have an explanation, only speculation, about why Willis claimed to be pregnant.
The Colerain Township 21-year-old woman was hosting the party to disclose the gender of her the baby she claimed to be pregnant with when the deadly shooting occurred July 8.
Autumn Garret was killed and eight others, including three children, were wounded during the shooting when two men opened fire inside of a home. Police haven't identified the suspects or their motive.
Police say they have been giving false information by the victims. Photo / Facebook/Cheyanne Babiee
Willis was shot in the leg and treated at University of Cincinnati Medical Center before she was released. A family member who was also shot had claimed that Willis was no longer pregnant after the shooting.
She had told local media she lost her unborn child after she was wounded.
Police said in a statement Monday that their investigation is being impeded by 'leads known to be lies' and resistance from crime victims.
"(We) have been given information we have found to be false,' the statement reads.
"Hours and days have been wasted following leads known to be lies when they were provided to our officers. From the very beginning of this investigation, we have met significant resistance that is uncommon from victims of crime wanting a resolution.
"As an example, we were led to believe an unborn child was murdered in this incident only to find out that was not the case. That information is not provided to embarrass anyone, only to provide a fair understanding of the challenges we have faced in the past nine days.
Hours before the shooting, the victim posted on Facebook that she was having a boy. Photo / Facebook/Cheyanne Babiee
"The Colerain Police Department will not comment further on any other misleading information, other than to say we wish our time had been spent on true leads that would help us remove these dangerous criminals from the streets.
"We ask that those with information to respect the fact that resources will be used to follow up on every lead or tip.
"Providing misleading information only makes the task of solving this crime more difficult.
"We will be consulting with the Hamilton County Prosecutor in the coming days to update their office and seek advice on how to proceed with some of our information.'
Authorities say that at least 14 rounds were fired during the shooting at the home on Capstan Drive.
Those who were shot were watching a Spider-Man movie after the party.
This is not the first time Willis has been involved with the police. She was the subject of a brutal attack on Christmas Eve 2014 where she was beaten up by another woman in a parking lot while it was filmed.
They then wrote "I got my a** whooped" on her head and signed it.
Her ex-boyfriend Quincy Gardner, then 20, and a woman, 21-year-old Cheyenne Fisher, were charged with robbery in connection with the incident.
Fisher later said in a Facebook post that she "slapped her up" because she believed Willis had stolen her car.
Weeks after that incident, a grand jury decided not to indict Gardner and Fisher.
Authorities are asking anyone with information in regards to the shooting to call the Colerain police at 513-321-COPS or text them at 513-470-7165. There is a $10,000 reward in the case.
