On a grim Sunday, November 20, 2016, the life of 21-year-old Dakota Gosselin was tragically cut short in Providence, Rhode Island. Gosselin, a White male, was shot on Gordon Avenue in a violent encounter that would have a gruesome aftermath. The initial scene of the crime was discovered by police responding to reports of gunshots, where they found blood but no victim.
Later that same day, firefighters in the nearby town of Lincoln were called to extinguish a brush fire in a vacant lot.
Amidst the charred remains, they made a horrifying discovery: the body of Dakota Gosselin. Investigators determined that after being shot and killed in Providence, his body had been transported to Lincoln, disposed of, and set on fire.
The investigation into Gosselin's death led to the arrest of 19-year-old David Deleon of Central Falls. Authorities alleged that Deleon was responsible for shooting and killing Gosselin. In a particularly disturbing development, it was also alleged that Deleon had dismembered Gosselin's body before setting it ablaze. Deleon was subsequently indicted by a grand jury and pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him. A judge ordered him to be held without bail.
In connection with the case, a 39-year-old woman named Erica Gonzalez was also taken into custody. Gonzalez, of Central Falls, was accused of hiding Deleon from law enforcement in a secret compartment within the bathroom of her apartment.
