In the autumn of 2011, a young man named Anthony Velez, 22, and his girlfriend, Rosemary Chyz, 19, were discovered in a desolate field on Detroit's east side, their lives tragically cut short. The couple, from the neighboring suburbs of Sterling Heights and Clinton Township respectively, had ventured into the city on the evening of October 24, 2011. Anthony, who often sold electronics online, had arranged to meet someone to sell some items.
This trip, however, took a devastating turn.
Their bodies were found the following afternoon in a lot near Mount Elliot and I-94. Both had been bound and had suffered multiple gunshot wounds in what investigators described as an execution-style killing. The pockets of both victims were turned out, leading authorities to believe that robbery was the primary motive behind the brutal slayings. Not far from where their bodies were discovered, Anthony's gray Chevy Impala was found engulfed in flames near the old Packard plant, a grim testament to the violence that had transpired.
In the years that followed, the families of Anthony and Rosemary have been relentless in their pursuit of justice, pleading for anyone with information to come forward. Despite their pleas and the offer of a cash reward for information leading to an arrest, the case has remained unsolved. Detroit Police homicide investigators have looked into the case, and at one point, mentioned having a person of interest they wished to speak with as a possible witness, but no arrests have ever been made in connection with the double homicide. The investigation has been hampered by a lack of forthcoming information, leaving the families with unanswered questions and a profound sense of loss.
