On the evening of November 28, 2021, law enforcement officials in Converse, Indiana, were alerted to a potential shooting at a residence on West Wabash Street. Officers from the Converse Police Department, alongside deputies from the Grant and Miami County Sheriff's Departments and troopers from the Indiana State Police, converged on the scene around 10:15 p.m. Upon entering the apartment, they discovered the body of a young man who had sustained fatal injuries.
The initial assessment at the scene suggested foul play, and an autopsy subsequently confirmed that the cause of death was homicide resulting from multiple gunshot wounds.
The victim was identified as Anthony Robert Eugene Leadford, a 23-year-old resident of Converse who had previously lived in the Warsaw area. Born in Goshen, Indiana, to Anthony E. and Cassie L. Leadford, he had attended Oak Hill and Tippecanoe Valley High Schools. At the time of his death, he was employed at Campbell Cruze Incorporated in Converse. Known to friends and family as a hard worker who spent time in construction and rebuilding houses, he was also remembered for his outgoing personality.
Detectives from the Indiana State Police initiated a homicide investigation, quickly following leads that pointed to multiple suspects. Early information released by the authorities indicated that the violence may have been motivated by a drug debt, though this was part of the preliminary findings. The investigation moved rapidly, and within days, police had identified four individuals believed to be responsible for the shooting.
By the following Monday, authorities announced the arrests of four teenagers in connection with the case. The suspects included 19-year-old Aryan Vandiver-Stone of Marion and 18-year-old Benjamin Jones of rural Converse, both of whom were taken into custody and booked into the Miami County Jail. Additionally, two male juveniles, aged 15 and 16, were arrested and transported to the Allen County Juvenile Facility. All four individuals were charged with felony murder as the community grappled with the violent loss of the young man.
