In the winter of 2024, the life of 23-year-old Qwun’Don Keylon Marks, a Black male from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, was tragically cut short. Concern for his well-being began to grow when he failed to make a promised visit to his sister and her newborn. This uncharacteristic silence prompted his family to file a missing person's report with the Little Rock Police Department.
His last known communication had been on a Monday night, and while his phone's location services provided a general vicinity near Interstate 630, an initial search by officers proved fruitless. The city's license plate reader system had logged his vehicle in the east end of Little Rock two hours before his last contact, but then the trail went cold.
The agonizing wait for answers came to a grim end on Thursday, February 1, 2024. Shortly after noon, law enforcement officials discovered Marks' body inside his white Chevrolet Impala, which was parked in an empty lot in the 2100 block of Security Avenue, near the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport. He had been fatally shot. The Pulaski County Coroner was called to the scene and transported his body to the Arkansas State Crime Lab to determine the official cause of death.
The investigation into the homicide progressed, and weeks of diligent work by the Little Rock Police Department led to a significant development. On February 21, 2024, authorities announced the arrest of 26-year-old Keith Kinchen of North Little Rock. Kinchen was taken into custody and subsequently charged with capital murder in connection with the death of Qwun’Don Keylon Marks. While the arrest brought a measure of progress in the case, law enforcement officials stated that the investigation remained active and ongoing.
