Edwin J. Heath Sr., a 33-year-old Black/African American man, was shot and killed on the afternoon of May 13, 2015, outside his home in the Fox Run Apartments and Townhouses community in Bear, Delaware. Heath, who was known to family as “Eddie,” was a father of four and was newly engaged at the time of his death. According to his mother, Crystal Heath, his children were the center of his life, and less than a day before the shooting he had spoken with her about plans for a family vacation.
At approximately 4:12 p.m., Heath returned to the area of his residence at 149 Antlers Lane and parked near his apartment building. Two of his children, his nine-year-old daughter and six-year-old son, remained in the vehicle while he got out. Within moments, multiple callers began reporting gunfire. When New Castle County police officers arrived, they found Heath on the ground near the curb between the parking area and the entrance to the residence. He had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Officers and other first responders attempted emergency aid, but Heath could not be revived and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The shooting unfolded in front of Heath’s children. Investigators later said the two children fled from the vehicle as their father was being shot and hid in a wooded, dead-end portion of the complex. Police interviewed numerous witnesses and reviewed surveillance footage from the community as they began reconstructing what had happened. Investigators eventually determined that a man captured on surveillance video was believed to be the gunman. Before the shooting, the man was reportedly seen lingering near a park in the complex and may have been using a cellphone.
Witnesses described the suspected shooter as a man in his mid-20s, approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing about 180 pounds, with a thin build. He was wearing dark pants and a light-colored sweatshirt. One detail repeatedly reported to investigators was that the man appeared to have an unusually thick beard. Detectives came to believe the beard may have been fake and used as part of a disguise; later police information described the suspect as possibly wearing either a fake beard or a mask.
After shooting Heath, the gunman fled on foot in the direction of nearby Route 40, also known as Pulaski Highway. Investigators believe he then entered a sedan and escaped. A 2026 New Castle County Police cold-case update described the vehicle as gold-colored. Detectives attempted to identify and trace the vehicle but were unable to connect it to a known suspect. Police also visited stores in the area that sold costume items in an effort to determine whether a fake beard had recently been purchased, but investigators found no method of tracing the available costume beards to a particular buyer.
As the investigation continued, detectives examined ballistic and DNA evidence, reviewed cellphone records, analyzed surveillance material and repeatedly interviewed witnesses. Police have said they believe additional people may possess information about the killing but have never spoken with investigators. The circumstances also raised questions about whether Heath had been deliberately targeted. His mother later said Heath was involved in a custody dispute at the time of his death and expressed her belief that the shooting had been carefully planned. That remains her interpretation of the circumstances, and authorities have not publicly identified the custody dispute as a proven motive.
The case remained unsolved through subsequent anniversary appeals. Heath was eventually included in Delaware Crime Stoppers' cold-case playing-card program, where his case was represented by the King of Hearts in an effort to generate information from correctional facilities and the wider community. His mother continued publicly appealing for anyone with knowledge of the shooting to come forward, while New Castle County investigators continued reviewing the case.
As recently as May 13, 2026, the New Castle County Division of Police was still publicly identifying Heath's death as an active cold-case homicide. No individual had been publicly named as the killer, and authorities had announced no arrest, criminal charges, trial or conviction connected with his murder. Investigators continue to seek the identity of the man seen around the Fox Run complex before the shooting, particularly the suspect believed to have worn a fake beard or other disguise and fled toward Route 40 and a waiting vehicle.
