My story idea..I'm unsure..?

I am wondering what most of you think out here. I have an idea that I really began to develop on paper-up to a certain point. It had gone through a few revisions and edit ..again upto the point it is.

Here is the core idea...
It is being told in typical old storytelling style - I am doing this deliberately since it is timed during the early 1960's.
I introduce the charcter philip and really spend a whole chapter on describing him, his day to day activities, the rumors going round these parts about the man. How he was a junk man, walking with a burlap bag past our house every day. He seemed to be going nowhere but yet no matter who you were, he seemed to be everywhere.
one day, he stopped coming by. by the fall of 1964 rumors began to circulate. Was he killed because he witnessed a crime, was he killed by local businessmen because they got sick of chasing him away. Was he killed because he was a black man, and we know how folks around here feel about Negroes during these times.

Q: should i develop the murder making it a big point to the story, or should I allow it to begin be be investigated and at some point the world listens to the news and move on. They focus in on other topics and the mountain is no different the people around here manage to get over it and move on with their life.The passing of philip was not too important ( would be how it appears- to illustrate how people view 'others' they deem not as important).
I can go either way right now, and I am truly open to both directions. What do you think would be better (maybe your reasoning).
1.)The murder story developed
2.)The race motivated murder investigation that just dwindled away and was forgotten - but never resolved.

I really liked the idea of number 2. Of the two it would be the more difficult to write and keep your readers attention but if you do it right it would be a lot more interesting and I think overall a better piece of writing.

maybe a little of both. You can show how most people have little or no interest. The may watch the tv and be either like that's too bad then instantly forget about it or like good riddens to bad rubbish. Even the police barely investigate it. But to one person perhaps a little white girl this man made a deep impression. perhaps he would always give her something nice someone had thrown away. She is deeply saddened by his death, does not understand peoples apathy and goes about solving the case her self.