Cops Reveal Cause of Death for Michigan Rappers, Friend

UPDATE Feb 8, 2023 7:27 AM CST

The autopsies are in. Three men who vanished before two of them were set to perform a hip-hop set at a Detroit club last month were shot to death, each with multiple gunshot wounds, reports ClickOnDetroit.com. The frozen bodies of rappers Armani Kelly, 27, and Dante Wicker, 31, along with that of their friend, 31-year-old Montoya Givens, were found Thursday buried under debris and construction materials in an abandoned apartment building in Highland Park. They'd been missing since Jan. 21. "This was not a random incident," Michigan State Police Lt. Mike Shaw said Tuesday, per the Detroit Free Press, which notes that investigators have described the case as "alarming, rare, and difficult." Shaw noted that the investigation was ongoing, and that police believe they "may have determined a motive."

Feb 4, 2023 9:00 AM CST

It's confirmed: The bodies found Thursday in a vacant apartment building in Highland Park, Michigan, are those of three rappers who went missing last month. On Friday, Michigan State Police tweeted, "The victims in this homicide investigation have been positively identified by investigators," naming 27-year-old Armani Kelly, 31-year-old Montoya Givens, and 31-year-old Dante Wicker. The police agency added, "We offer our condolences to their family and friends." CBS News notes a motive isn't known, nor the cause of death for the three men. "It looks like they were killed upstairs and then dumped in the basement," MSP 1st Lt. Mike Shaw tells FOX 2, which adds the bodies were found buried under debris.

Sources tell the outlet that a Detroit man was arrested in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Friday in connection with the case and is being held on a parole violation. Another man is also said to have been brought into custody in Detroit for questioning. Meanwhile, police in Warren, Michigan, have arrested and charged a 15-year-old male after they say he was found with Kelly's SUV and burglary tools, though, per a statement from the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office, it appears the teen's arrest is in connection with the vehicle, not the missing men themselves, per CBS. (More missing persons stories.)