Three bodies found in an abandoned apartment building in the Detroit area Thursday are those of the rappers who vanished nearly two weeks ago, according to Michigan State Police.
In a statement Friday afternoon, the agency said the victims had been positively identified as Armani Kelly, of Oscoda, Michigan; Montoya Givens, of Detroit; and Dante Wicker, of Melvindale, Michigan.
"Currently the cause of death and motive are unknown," state police tweeted, adding detectives were still investigating the deaths.
Human remains were found in the basement of the apartment complex in Highland Park, roughly 6 miles northwest of Detroit, state police Lt. Mike Shaw said.
Initially, officials could not begin collecting evidence or identifying the victims because of the weather, the condition of the bodies and the state of the building, described by police as “very poor” and infested with rats.
The complex is about 12 miles west of Lounge 31, the Detroit venue where the rappers were scheduled to perform Jan. 21 before the gig was canceled.
Kelly, Givens and Wicker had not been seen or heard from since that day. Their disappearance sparked an investigation involving multiple agencies.
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.
The rappers' bodies were taken to the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office, Shaw said.
He noted the “extreme cold” as to why autopsies may not be able to begin right away.
