CINCINNATI —

A family is pleading for answers after a 20-year-old mother was found dead in Mount Airy Forest.

Cincinnati police discovered Lanyah Dawson’s body on Trail Ridge Road in Mount Airy Forest just after midnight Saturday, determining she had been shot and killed.

The circumstances surrounding her death remain unknown.

Dawson’s family says she was a loving big sister, daughter and mother of a 1-year-old child.

“She was a beautiful person and a beautiful soul,” said her grandmother, Janet Crenshaw. “She kept us laughing all the time, and I would do anything in the world for her.”

Lanyah’s mother, Nyresha Dawson, is now mourning the loss of her daughter.

“She still had a whole life ahead of her,” Nyresha Dawson said.

Loved ones are now asking for answers, hoping someone who knows something will speak up.

“They do need to find justice for her, because it is not fair for her child to grow up and not have justice,” said her aunt, Marie Dawson, “When she grows up, she’s going to have questions, and we need to have answers for her.”

According to Nyresha Dawson, Lanyah’s daughter has been calling out for her mother since her death — now for the first time without answer.

At this time, Cincinnati police have not made any arrests.

“We need someone to speak out,” said Nyresha Dawson, “Think about it as if it was your family member, your daughter, your sister, your brother, your auntie, your uncle, someone that you love — think about that.”

Those with information about Lanyah Dawson’s death are urged to call CPD’s Homicide Unit at 513-352-3542.