Krista McGuire, 38, was found dead early on Monday, May 1, 2023, behind a building in the 1000 block of Bonaparte Avenue in East Baltimore. On Tuesday, May 16, 2023, the medical examiner ruled that her death was a homicide caused by trauma, which the Baltimore Sun's homicide database records as blunt force injuries. The Baltimore Police Department investigated, and the Sun's database lists her death as a homicide.
According to police, officers found her body at about 6:54 a.m. on May 1.
The Sun's notes say she was "located dead in the 1000 block of Bonaparte Avenue (rear)," and CBS Baltimore reported that her body was found "in an alleyway." Her body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and for about two weeks her death was not counted as a homicide. When the ruling came on May 16, the Baltimore Police Department released her name, and the Baltimore Witness, WBAL NewsRadio and WMAR-2 News all reported it. CBS Baltimore reported that police described her death as "an open homicide investigation." WBAL said people with information were asked to contact authorities.
That is nearly everything the public record holds. Police did not say how long she may have been in the alley before she was found, what kind of trauma the medical examiner found, or whether she lived nearby. They did not describe a suspect, a motive or any witnesses. The two week gap between the discovery of her body and the homicide ruling suggests that the cause of death was not obvious at the scene and that investigators had to wait for the autopsy, but police have not said so directly.
Beyond her name, her age and the block where she was found, almost nothing about Krista McGuire has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story. She surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember who she was, and who may have seen her in the days or hours before she died, but none of that has entered the public record. Her name appeared in lists of the city's dead kept by WMAR-2 News, WYPR and the Catholic Review, which asked readers to pray for each victim by name.
Bonaparte Avenue is a residential street of rowhouses in East Baltimore, part of the dense grid of narrow blocks and rear alleys that run behind the homes in that part of the city. Alleys like the one where she was found are often out of view of the street, which can make it hard for neighbors to notice what happens there at night.
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 Krista McGuire 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 lived or worked near the 1000 block of Bonaparte Avenue in late April or early May 2023, or who saw Krista McGuire in the days before she was found, may know something that matters. 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).
