Domonick Dukes, a 30-year-old man, was stabbed on Saturday, September 11, 2021, in the 1700 block of Dundalk Avenue in Baltimore, and he died of his wounds. The Baltimore Police Department investigated, and the Baltimore Sun's homicide database lists his death as a homicide by stabbing.
Only a few facts were ever published. WMAR-2 News, in its daily tracker of the city's killings and shootings that month, logged the case at 12:43 p.m.
that Saturday: "Domonick Dukes, 30, died after being stabbed in the 1700 block of Dundalk Avenue." A volunteer-run list of the year's Baltimore homicides recorded him as a "Cutting victim," and in the column for arrests it wrote "None." The Archdiocese of Baltimore included his name in a list of homicide victims it asked people to pray for, and WYPR read it among the city's dead on "Names of Baltimore's Fallen."
Beyond his name, his age and the block where he was found, almost nothing about Domonick Dukes has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet appears to have reported on the death in detail. He surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record.
The timing in the WMAR log suggests the stabbing happened in the middle of the day, when people would ordinarily be out on the street, in cars or in nearby shops. But the record does not say whether he was attacked during a fight or a robbery, whether he knew the person who stabbed him, or whether he died at the scene or after being taken to a hospital. It does not say whether anyone saw what happened, and police never publicly described a suspect or a motive.
Dundalk Avenue is a major road that runs from Southeast Baltimore out toward the Dundalk area of Baltimore County. The 1700 block lies inside the city limits, and the Sun's homicide map places it in the 21222 ZIP code. It is a busy route, used by commuters, buses and trucks heading to and from the industrial waterfront, which means a midday attack there may well have been seen by drivers or passersby who never came forward or who did not realize what they had witnessed.
The name Domonick Dukes, with its uncommon spelling, should be easy for anyone who knew him to recognize. Friends, coworkers, relatives or neighbors may remember where he was headed that day, whom he had been spending time with, or whether he had argued with anyone in the weeks before.
After the unrest of 2015, Baltimore recorded more than 300 homicides a year for eight straight years, and the share of killings that ended in an arrest fell sharply.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Domonick Dukes could be found in news archives or public records. More than five years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was on or near the 1700 block of Dundalk Avenue around midday on September 11, 2021, or who knew Domonick Dukes and heard talk about the stabbing that fall, may be able to help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call Baltimore Police homicide detectives at 410-396-2100, or leave an anonymous tip with Metro Crime Stoppers of Maryland at 1-866-7LOCKUP (1-866-756-2587).
