Three bodies found in an abandoned apartment building in the Detroit area Thursday are believed to be of three rappers who have been missing for nearly two weeks, according to a spokesperson for Highland Park.
The bodies were found Thursday in Highland Park, the city’s public relations director, Lakisha Brown, said Friday morning.
Michigan State Police officers were investigating an abandoned apartment complex in Highland Park, roughly 6 miles northwest of Detroit, as part of a death investigation Thursday, the department said in a tweet.
It said multiple victims had been located in the building, but had not yet been identified.
“As of now we haven’t confirmed the identity of any victims inside or a manner of death,” the state police said. “Please remember all victims have families and we don’t have the luxury of guessing on their identity and then retracting if we didn’t get it right.”
State police noted that progress in the investigation was being slowed due to the building’s poor condition and a rat infestation.
Brown said Friday that the bodies were believed to be of Armani Kelly, Montoya Givens and Dante Wicker, who had not been seen or heard from since a Jan. 21 gig they were supposed to perform at was canceled. Their disappearance sparked an investigation involving multiple agencies.
Lt. Mike Shaw, with the Michigan State Police, said in a video statement late Friday morning the human remains found in an apartment complex were not immediately identified.
“As of right now, the three male victims that are located in the basement, can not be identified due to weather conditions and the conditions of the victims,” Shaw said.
The bodies were taken to the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsies which may take up to 48 hours to produce identities, Shaw said.
He noted the “extreme cold” as to why autopsies may not be able to begin right away.
A 15-year-old boy was picked up last week and accused of having a vehicle belonging to Kelly, Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer said Thursday.
At the time, Dwyer declined to discuss how the car’s discovery might factor into the search for the missing rappers. He said there were no signs of violence in Kelly’s car.
“There was no blood or anything of a nature that would lead us to believe they were either transported or murdered in that particular vehicle,” he said.
Dwyer also would not confirm if the 15-year-old had been arrested. He said the teenager was “brought into the Warren police headquarters” and that “he was taken into custody” at one point last week.