Do you know who killed 47 year old Dan Merton Thomas?
On the evening of January 26, 1994, a knock at the door of his North Williams Avenue home would tragically lead to the death of 47-year-old Dan Merton Thomas, a Caucasian male. At approximately 6:30 p.m., his wife answered the door to an unknown male who was armed with a handgun. The stranger forcefully entered their residence at 6316 N. Williams Avenue, at which point Thomas confronted the intruder. The confrontation was brief and violent, ending with the armed man shooting Thomas before quickly fleeing the home.
Witnesses reported seeing a group of young African-American males walking near the residence just minutes before the fatal gunshot rang out. The shooter himself was described by witnesses as a young African-American teenager. In the investigation that followed, police uncovered that Thomas had a small marijuana growing operation in his basement and had occasionally sold some of what he grew. This discovery led authorities to believe that robbery was the likely motive behind the deadly home invasion.
Despite the witness descriptions and a clear motive, the case has remained unsolved for years. The suspect who shot and killed Dan Thomas has never been identified or apprehended, and no arrests have been made in connection with the murder. The case is now considered a cold case, one of the many lingering unsolved homicides in the city of Portland. Investigators continue to seek information from the public, hoping that someone will come forward with the key detail that could finally bring a resolution to the decades-old case.
