3 missing men found dead in abandoned apartment days after they were supposed to be at rap show

UPDATE Feb. 3, 2023: Michigan State Police located the remains of three missing men in the basement of an abandoned apartment building days after they were supposed to perform at a rap show in Detroit.

On Thursday, Feb. 2, members of the Homicide Task Force, which includes the Detroit Police Department and Michigan State Police's Second District, went to a vacant apartment in the city's Highland Park neighborhood and found the three victims. A Michigan State Police spokesperson initially said the men could not be identified "due to weather conditions and the conditions of the victims."

Investigators, however, on Friday, Feb. 3, positively identified the three men as Armani Kelly, Montoya Givens, and Dante Wicker.

MORE:

• Homicide Investigation Update - Michigan State Police

DETROIT (TCD) -- Police and family members are searching for three men who have not been seen since they were scheduled to perform a show at a club Jan. 21, which ended up getting canceled.

Detroit Police Cmdr. Michael McGinnis called the case "extraordinary" because it involves so many police departments and the fact that there are three missing adults involved. He identified the men as 28-year-old Armani Kelly, 31-year-old Dante Wicker, and 31-year-old Montoya Givens, and said their phones all stopped "having activity" the night of Jan. 22.

Kelly’s mother reported him missing Jan. 22 and started looking for her car, which was found Jan. 23 in Warren. Four days later, when news spread about Kelly’s disappearance, McGinnis said Wicker and Givens' families reported them missing.

According to Missing in Michigan, Kelly picked up Givens and Wicker on their way to the show, but the event got canceled. The vehicle was reportedly located without a license plate and covered in mud.

At the press briefing, McGinsnis said, "In this case, the fact that the three of them are missing together is very concerning and alarming for us."

Kelly’s fiancée, Taylor Perrin, told The Detroit News he "really turned his life around" after recently serving time in prison for armed robbery. He was reportedly focusing on work, school, his wedding, and his rap career.

Perrin reportedly said Kelly, Wicker, and Givens met in prison but said Kelly "did his time and came out as a whole new person."

Perrin said, "At the end of the day they’re still a human being and they deserve to be seen and heard."

She also told The Detroit News she’s "not going to give up until I see his face again," adding, "We were so close to be able to start our life and somebody just took it all away. I just beg for help, for anything. I need answers and, if it comes to it, I need closure, because I will never forget and I will never stop."

Lorrie Kemp, Kelly’s mother, told WDIV-TV, "I’ll never see that beautiful smile. He’ll never tussle with me no more. He’s never gonna lay in bed with me no more. And I know somebody knows something,"

Kemp shared she felt "guilty" because Kelly reportedly picked up his two friends en route to the show.

Kemp said, "I wanna lay him to rest and try to move on."

MORE:

• Detroit police hold press conference to provide update on missing men - Detroit Police Department via WXYZ-TV
• 3 aspiring rappers headed to a Detroit club. They haven't been seen since - The Detroit News
• Michigan mother frantically searching for son, 2 friends who went missing in Detroit - WDIV
• Missing in Michigan Facebook