Damari Anthony Ali, a 21-year-old resident of Lehigh Acres, Florida, was last seen on May 3, 2023, near Barnum Avenue South. His body was discovered by deputies of the Lee County Sheriff's Office on May 9, 2023, off Dominion Avenue South near Bell Boulevard.
Investigators identified the body using dental records and rapid DNA testing, confirming it was indeed Damari Ali.
According to Sheriff Carmine Marceno, Ali was believed to have been meeting two individuals, 20-year-old Cameron Williams and 18-year-old Dayrian Howard, for a drug deal on the evening of May 3, 2023. During this encounter, Williams and Howard allegedly shot Ali when he arrived in his car.
Following the shooting, the suspects dragged Ali's body and hid it in the brush. They then drove his car approximately 8 blocks away and abandoned it, where it was later found by deputies on the morning of May 4, 2023. Ali's family had filed a missing person report after his car was discovered.
Cameron Williams and Dayrian Howard, both from Lehigh Acres, were arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection with Ali's death. The investigation and subsequent arrests were a result of the efforts by the Lee County Sheriff's Office, which encouraged anyone with additional information to come forward and contact them or Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers.
