In the winter of 2016, the community of Savannah, Georgia, was unsettled by the discovery of a young man's body. Dewane Kinta Rice, a 19-year-old male, was found inside an abandoned house on the 700 block of East Bolton Street on the evening of Friday, January 1, 2016. The discovery was made by Metro officers who were conducting a welfare check at the residence. Investigators with the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department's Violent Crimes unit immediately launched a suspicious death investigation.
Further details revealed that Dewane, who was reportedly homeless, had not been seen since December 24, 2015, leaving a week-long gap in his whereabouts before his body was found. The circumstances surrounding his death were deemed suspicious from the outset, prompting a thorough investigation of the scene by detectives, the patrol division, and a forensics unit. The Chatham County Coroner was also present at the scene. To determine the official cause of death, his body was sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations Crime Lab for an autopsy.
Following the initial discovery and investigation, authorities publicly appealed for any information regarding Dewane's case. They encouraged anyone with knowledge of his activities or who may have seen something to come forward and contact CrimeStoppers or a confidential tip line. A funeral service for Dewane Kinta Rice was held on Saturday, January 16, 2016, at the Holy Zion Pentecostal Church in Savannah.
Despite the initial investigation and public calls for information, there have been no subsequent public announcements regarding any arrests or the identification of any suspects in connection with the death of Dewane Kinta Rice. The case, which was investigated as a homicide, appears to have gone cold, joining the number of unsolved cases in the Savannah area. No further updates on the investigation, potential motives, or persons of interest have been released to the public in the years following his death, leaving the circumstances of his final days and the identity of who was responsible a mystery.
