Do you know who killed 24 year old David Parker Bayard in 2011? In the quiet, early morning hours of Sunday, April 17, 2011, the promising life of 24-year-old David Parker Bayard was tragically cut short. A Caucasian male, Bayard was a bright and ambitious graduate student, pursuing a master's degree in business administration at the University of Maryland. He was discovered unresponsive in his black Acura Integra in a small strip mall parking lot on Bladensburg Road in Colmar Manor, Maryland.
He had sustained trauma to his upper body and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The night before, Bayard had been out with friends in Washington, D.C., celebrating a birthday at a nightclub. Friends who were with him said there had been no altercations or trouble that evening. Surveillance footage from the club showed him leaving alone in the early hours of the morning. For reasons that remain a mystery, he ended up in Colmar Manor, a town his loved ones said he had no known connection to. The discovery of his body was a shock to the small community, marking its first homicide in five years.
An investigation was immediately launched by the Colmar Manor Police, with assistance from Prince George's County authorities. Detectives canvassed the area, distributing fliers and seeking any information that could lead to a break in the case. They were looking for anyone who may have seen Bayard's vehicle between 2:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. that Sunday morning. Despite their efforts and the pleas of Bayard's heartbroken family and friends, the investigation yielded no suspects.
David Bayard was remembered by those who knew him as a kind, generous, and genuine individual who was always willing to help others. He had graduated from the University of Maryland in 2009 with a dual degree in communication and economics before continuing his studies in business. His sudden and violent death left a void in the lives of his family and many friends, who struggled to comprehend why anyone would want to harm him. To this day, the case remains unsolved, with no arrests having been made in connection with his murder. The circumstances surrounding his presence in Colmar Manor and the motive for his killing are still unknown.