James Mills was a 51-year-old Black man who lived in Warren, Michigan, but spent much of his time in a neighborhood on Detroit's east side. According to police, he did not have any family living in the area.
On the morning of May 12, 2017, an anonymous caller contacted authorities, leading them to a vacant house in the 14000 block of Park Grove, near E McNichols Road and Gratiot Avenue. In the basement, police made a grim discovery: the body of James Mills. He had been shot multiple times throughout his body, including in his head, back, and arm. Investigators counted at least eight gunshot wounds.
Police believed that Mills had not been killed at the location where he was found and that his body may have been there for one to two days. The anonymous tipster claimed that Mills had been shot, placed in a dumpster, and then moved into the abandoned house. The nature of the crime led one investigator, Detroit Police Sgt.
Danny Barbee, to suggest it was an act of "rage, or a crime of some revenge, or hatred." He added, "Nothing he could have done in life to deserve being dumped in a trash can like trash."
The investigation faced immediate challenges. Police did not know where Mills was killed or where he was last seen alive. While they suspected the homicide may have been drug-related, they could not be certain. The neighborhood itself, with its many vacant houses, made it difficult for investigators to develop any leads or find potential witnesses.
As of May 2017, no arrests have been made in the murder of James Mills. The case remains unsolved, and police are seeking information that could help their investigation.
