Dustin Davis, 32, was found stabbed to death on Thursday, January 5, 2023, in the 3500 block of Holmes Avenue in West Baltimore. The Baltimore Police Department investigated, and the Baltimore Sun's homicide database lists his death as a homicide.
Officers were called to the block shortly before 2 p.m. that Thursday for a report of a suspicious package.
On the front porch of a vacant house they found a large storage container giving off a foul odor, and inside it they found the body of a man. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide by stabbing. Some outlets reported his age as 33.
At first investigators could not say who he was. Police released composite sketches of his tattoos, hoping someone would recognize them, and on January 11 they identified him as Davis. WMAR reported that detectives were "unsure of where or when he was killed," and Fox45 reported that it was unclear how long he had been dead. According to CBS Baltimore, he had not been reported missing before his body was found. WMAR added that there was "still no word on a potential motive or suspect."
Fox45 reported that, according to his social media page, Davis lived in Baltimore and was a father. A photo on that page showed him in a Safe Streets shirt; the city's violence prevention office said he had never worked for the program, but it sent condolences. "Our deepest of sympathies are with the Davis family and those that love them during this time as they deal with this tragic loss," the office said.
Neighbors told reporters the house had been damaged by a fire not long before and had been divided into three apartments. WBAL reported that neighbors had noticed lights on in the house and the back yard, and discarded appliances. One woman told WJZ that she walked past the house every night. "I did smell something so I just figured a cat must have died," she said. Another resident said, "People are scared about retaliation, so they don't say anything, but not saying anything makes it worse. Somebody saw something, and they should say something." An independent online list of Baltimore homicides noted an $8,000 reward for information in the case.
The Baltimore Sun placed the block in West Baltimore's Parkview/Woodbrook neighborhood, an area of rowhouses where, as on many West Baltimore blocks, vacant homes sit beside occupied ones.
Homicides in Baltimore began falling steeply in 2023 and 2024, reaching the lowest totals in decades, yet many killings from those years remain unsolved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Dustin Davis could be found in news archives or public records. More than three years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who saw a storage container being carried onto a porch in the 3500 block of Holmes Avenue in late December 2022 or early January 2023, or who knew where Davis had been in his last days, may hold an important piece of the story. 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).
