On a summer afternoon in Washington, D.C., 25-year-old Aryeh Wolf, a Jewish man from Baltimore, was diligently working on a solar panel installation project. It was August 10, 2022, in the 5100 block of Call Place, SE, when his life was abruptly and senselessly cut short. An assailant, without any apparent provocation, walked directly up to him, produced a handgun, and fired multiple times at close range. The shooter then fled the scene on foot, leaving Wolf grievously wounded on the sidewalk.
Emergency services arrived quickly and transported him to a local hospital, but despite all life-saving efforts, he was pronounced dead.
The Metropolitan Police Department immediately launched an investigation into the homicide. Surveillance footage from the area captured images of the suspect, and detectives determined that nothing had been taken from Wolf, which seemed to rule out robbery as a motive. The seemingly random and brutal nature of the attack left his family, including his wife and six-month-old daughter, and the wider Baltimore Jewish community in a state of shock and profound grief. Friends and family remembered Wolf as a kind and dedicated man, a beloved former counselor at a camp for children with cancer, who was known for his gentle spirit and willingness to help others.
Within weeks, police identified a suspect: 27-year-old Avery Miler, a resident of Southeast D.C. A warrant was issued for his arrest on a charge of first-degree murder while armed. The search for Miler intensified, with the U.S. Marshals Service joining the effort and a significant reward being offered for information leading to his capture. Miler was considered armed and dangerous. In September 2022, authorities received a tip and located him in Northeast D.C. When officers approached, Miler allegedly opened fire on them before managing to escape, sparking a massive manhunt that ended without his capture.
The case took a final, unexpected turn nearly eight months after the murder. On April 4, 2023, skeletal remains were discovered by a person walking in Fort Chaplin Park, located about a mile from where Aryeh Wolf was killed. The remains were later positively identified as those of Avery Miler. The cause of his death was officially ruled as undetermined, bringing a somber and inconclusive end to the search for the man responsible for the tragic death of Aryeh Wolf.
