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Missing Michigan rappers found dead in Highland Park apartment: What we know

15-year-old being held without bond

HIGHLAND PARK, Mich.Michigan State Police positively identified the three bodies found in a Highland Park apartment complex as the three missing rappers.

Armani Kelly, Montoya Givens, and Dante Wicker were all headed to a planned performance at a club on Detroit’s east side, but that performance was canceled, and they were never seen or heard from again.

Local 4 cameras were in Highland Park at the scene of the horrific triple homicide.

You could see MSP investigators Friday (Feb. 3) afternoon, where three bodies were discovered in an abandoned portion of the building at Mcnichols Road and Log Cabin Street concealed under piles of debris and construction materials.

Read: 3 bodies believed to belong to rappers in Highland Park can’t be identified due to poor conditions

Now, it has been confirmed the bodies have been identified as the three missing friends, aspiring rappers Kelly, Wicker, and Givens, who were on their way to perform Lounge 31.

It’s unclear what or who led the men to the rat-infested building, but what is clear are the homicides and the concealing of the bodies all happened inside the building.

“The whole scene is confined in that building,” said Michigan State Police Lt. Mike Shaw. “The scene where the homicide took place and where the bodies were left, so everything is in that area. That is the crime scene.”

A huge part that led to a break in the case occurred on Jan. 25 when Warren police recovered a stolen car they discovered it belonged to Kelly’s mother.

Read: Read: Mother searching for son who vanished with 2 other rappers in Detroit

Warren investigators then tracked the suspected car thief to be a 15-year-old. That led to information about the building and the bodies, according to Detroit police.

The bodies were left at the scene with rat infestation for some time during frigid cold temperatures. But Detroit police were able to identify the three men through their fingerprints.

Read: Forensics enter Highland Park apartment where missing rappers’ believed bodies found


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About the Authors
Shawn Ley headshot

Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade.

Brandon Carr headshot

Brandon Carr is a digital content producer for ClickOnDetroit and has been with WDIV Local 4 since November 2021. Brandon is the 2015 Solomon Kinloch Humanitarian award recipient for Community Service.

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