DETROIT – When police visited the home of Detroit doctor Devon Hoover to conduct a welfare check last week, they found the man dead of apparent homicide. But how did police know to go there?
A family member of Hoover’s in Indiana reportedly called police to request a welfare check at Hoover’s Boston-Edison Historic District home on Sunday, April 23. Hoover, 53, was supposed to visit his ailing mother, but did not arrive as expected.
Officers reportedly found Hoover’s body wrapped in a sheet in a crawl space at his home. Medical examiners have confirmed that Hoover was shot several times.
Investigators say they don’t believe Hoover was shot in the attic crawl space, but rather carried there after the shooting. Police believe the person responsible is a man who knows Hoover. There was no forced entry in the home, officials said.
A person of interest was in police custody, but was released on Tuesday, May 2. That person was in custody on a warrant unrelated to the killing of Hoover, but Detroit police said the person was believed to have information about what happened.
Investigators say that person is still a main focus of their investigation, despite their release. Police continue to investigate the shooting of the well-known doctor, as well as a break-in that occurred at the same home just before Hoover’s funeral.
Hoover was a well-known neurosurgeon who worked at Ascension Hospital.
“We, the family of Devon Hoover, wish to express our profound sadness at the loss of a beloved son, brother, and uncle,” the family said in a statement last week. “We grieve his untimely death and will miss him greatly. We are so grateful for the many words of kindness and stories from people who were touched by his life. He was a gift from God and used his talents to bless many.”