Bodies found in Highland Park apartment building; family of missing rapper notified

Multiple bodies were found in an abandoned Highland Park apartment building Thursday, according to Michigan State Police.

UPDATE:Bodies identified, mystery persists in death of Michigan rappers, friend

Family members of a Michigan man missing for nearly two weeks along with two friends were notified Thursday evening of the discovery.

Taylor Perrin, fiancee of Oscoda rap artist Armani Kelly, told the Free Press that police notified Kelly's family of three bodies found, but that identities had not yet been confirmed. Perrin, who lives in Grand Rapids, said she was told to travel to Detroit.

Kelly, 27; Montoya Givens, 31, of Detroit; and Dante Wicker, 31, of Melvindale, were set to perform at a hip-hop show Jan. 21 at a Detroit club, but the performances were canceled. No one has heard from the three men since.

Lt. Mike Shaw of Michigan State Police confirmed "multiple victims" were found in an abandoned Highland Park apartment building on the corner of McNichols Road and Log Cabin Street, near Detroit's Palmer Park.

Shaw said he could not confirm the number of bodies or their identities.

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An area is restricted with crime scene tape where multiple bodies were discovered near McNichols Road and Log Cabin Street in Detroit, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.
An area is restricted with crime scene tape where multiple bodies were discovered near McNichols Road and Log Cabin Street in Detroit, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.

"We still need to get the search warrant and have the lab get there before we can start to search the building. It's an abandoned apartment, but there are a lot of squatters inside," he said.

"We haven't identified any victims. People like to jump to conclusions — I don't guess. I don't have time for that."

Michigan State Police gather near a scene where multiple bodies were discovered on McNichols Road and Log Cabin Street in Detroit, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.
Michigan State Police gather near a scene where multiple bodies were discovered on McNichols Road and Log Cabin Street in Detroit, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.

Detroit police on Monday asked the public for help locating the three missing men, who were set to perform at Lounge 31 on Detroit's east side before they went missing.

At the scene Thursday night, Antoine Woods, who identified himself as Wicker's cousin, said police had not told his family whether Wicker was among the victims found, but that "we think it's my cousin in there."

He said he last spoke to his cousin in the days before he went missing.

"He was excited about making music," Woods said.

He said the trio was about to perform their first gig together at Lounge 31.

"He didn't live here," Woods said, pointing to the complex of dark brick apartment buildings that stretch along McNichols Road, across from a posh strip of homes along the Detroit Golf Club. "I don't know why he's here."

Along with state police, Detroit police and an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were at the scene. State police said members of a homicide task force and a forensic lab were investigating.

Police gather near a scene where multiple bodies were discovered on McNichols Road and Log Cabin Street in Detroit, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.
Police gather near a scene where multiple bodies were discovered on McNichols Road and Log Cabin Street in Detroit, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.

Lounge 31 owner Darnell Williams told the Free Press the performances were canceled the night the men went missing because of technical failures with DJ equipment. He said there were too many people in the crowd to know whether or when the missing men arrived at the venue, but that police were reviewing video footage.

The car Kelly drove from Oscoda to Detroit was found in Warren. A juvenile was arrested in connection with the vehicle's theft and charged with receiving and concealing stolen property, according to Warren police.

Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. She can be contacted at 313-264-0442,asahouri@freepress.com or on Twitter @andreamsahouri.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Bodies found in Highland Park; family of missing rapper notified