September 22, 2025 | By: Crystal Branch

This story is part of a collaborative project between Project: Cold Case and the University of North Florida’s Applied Journalism class.

Cherin Ehlke loved shopping with her daughter at their local mall near Converse, Texas, a suburb of San Antonio. “Kylie loved fashion. I would wear jeans and a T-shirt, and Kylie would tactfully ask me if I wanted to go shopping. I loved to go shopping with her as she kept up with the latest fashion trends,” said Ehlke. Kylie’s favorite brands were Baby Phat and Michael Kors.

Over nine years ago, the fashion tips ended. One day, Kylie Warren, 26, didn’t respond to her mother’s phone calls. Her body was found lying on the kitchen floor of her house in Converse, Texas. Kylie’s murder has not been solved.

Kylie spent half of her school days in Bremerton, Washington, before moving to San Antonio, Texas, as she entered high school. “She had several friends. She was a social butterfly,” said Ehlke. Kylie received her GED after being harassed by bullies in high school. Later, she received her certification in medical billing and coding. She never got a chance to use it.

Kylie and her brother, Cody, were very close in age. Growing up together, they were inseparable. “I was very protective over her, and she was protective over me. We helped each other through a lot,” said Cody. Kylie’s personality, described in one word, would be “love.” She loved everyone around her and saw goodness in the world. Her favorite season was summer; she would tan and enjoy being outside with her family.

Cody served in the U.S. Army for 10 years before he medically retired. Events from Iraq and the murder of his sister took a toll on him mentally. Cody is now married and has three children, a son and two daughters. He also helps his mother with Kylie’s three daughters. They all have fun playing sports together.

Cody’s favorite memory of him and Kylie is a party they hosted together in a tiny apartment while their mom was out of town. Cody had two or three friends attend the party. Everyone else was there for Kylie. “She was so full of life. Everyone loved being around her,” said Cody.

She loved music and expressed herself often through songs.

As a young adult, she loved girls’ nights out. Kylie was not a big drinker, but she had a drink occasionally. As an adult, she loved going to Chuck E. Cheese with her children. “She was full of life. She was one of those people you meet and instantly fall in love with. She loved everyone,” said Ehlke. Her love for being a mother was unconditional. Kylie had three daughters, who were 2, 3, and 4 at the time of her death. When she saw or talked about them, her face brightened like the sun.

During the time leading up to Kylie’s murder, she secretly married her boyfriend at a justice of the peace office. The relationship had a history of troubles, and the issues had not gone unnoticed. Ehlke said, “We had a relationship that people were envious of. We could talk to each other about anything.” But that close bond began to dwindle as Ehlke shared her concerns about Kylie’s partner.

Ehlke was determined to help her daughter. Ehlke had a best friend in Colorado, with whom she stayed for a while to try to get Kylie to leave the relationship. According to Ehlke, Kylie’s partner had too much control over her, and she went back with him when he drove out to Colorado. Countless attempts were made to protect Kylie, including police escorts to women’s shelters, filing for divorce, and moving back home with her mom. But nothing was a success.

Ehlke said she contacted the district attorney months before her daughter’s murder. “If you do not put him away, he is going to kill her,” said Ehlke. Eventually, Kylie left him and wanted to raise her children with her mother.

On a cool Sunday morning, October 16, 2016, Ehlke took her three grandchildren to a pumpkin patch. Ehlke sent pictures of the kids to Kylie’s phone, but never received a response. Kylie’s mother said she knew something was wrong, but she did not know what. Using her best judgment, Ehlke called the police to do a wellness check.

When the police arrived, they found Kylie on her kitchen floor with a gunshot wound to the head.

Ehlke does not remember a lot after receiving the news. Kylie’s Brother, Cody, was stationed in Korea during this time.

Three days before her murder, Kylie was with another man she had been seeing. Her estranged husband found out and threatened him. An altercation between the two men occurred, but no one was hurt.

Kylie’s estranged husband was the main suspect in her murder. He was indicted by a grand jury, but district attorneys in San Antonio dropped the charges, to both the family’s and investigators’ surprise.

Kylie’s children, Cody, and Ehlke, have received counseling on and off over the years. The counseling will be ongoing to try to make sense out of the unsolved murder of someone so special. Cody struggled a lot during the aftermath. To function, he would smoke and zone out all day, trying to cope with PTSD.  After counseling, Cody rededicated his life to God. He was baptized recently and gave his testimony. “My son is back, and I can see his true self again,” said Ehlke.

“She was a beautiful soul,” said Cody. That is the way Kylie’s family remembers her.

Cherin stated, “We have no doubt in the lord that Kylie is an angel above, and her spirit shines bright through her three children. We miss her daily; it has been extremely difficult. Even through our struggles, her children are thriving in school, they are on the honor roll, participate in sports, and go on through this life with her watching from above. This person will never take us down, and we will fight until we receive justice for Kylie.

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Anyone with information on Kylie Warren’s unsolved homicide is asked to contact the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office at (210) 335-6000. To remain anonymous and possibly be eligible for a reward, call Crime Stoppers of San Antonio at (210) 224-7867.

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