Armani Kelly drove about three hours to Detroit to perform his second show as a rapper on Jan. 21. But he never got on stage. The event was canceled because of technical problems, the authorities said, and it’s unclear if he even made it to the venue at all.
Mr. Kelly, 27, and two friends who were supposed to be at the lounge — Dante Wicker and Montoya Givens, both 31 — were later reported missing. They have not been seen in the 10 days since the canceled event, prompting a multiagency police investigation into what the authorities called an “extraordinary” case.
None of the men’s phones have shown any activity since the evening of the canceled show, Cmdr. Michael McGinnis, of the Detroit Police Department, said at a news conference on Monday. A car that Mr. Kelly drove on Jan. 21 was found in a nearby city with no signs of the three men.
The Police Departments in Warren, Oscoda and Melvindale are all investigating the case, along with the Detroit police. Three people missing under the same circumstances is unusual, Commander McGinnis said. “When you’re dealing with an adult that’s missing,’’ he said, “it’s usually one person.”
Mr. Kelly, of Oscoda, Mich., spoke with his fiancée, Taylor Perrin, of Grand Rapids, Mich., about 5 p.m. on Jan. 21 on the phone — their last conversation. He told her that his gig had been canceled because of technical problems, and that he would look for another venue with an open mic, she said in an interview on Tuesday.
By 9 p.m., her messages to him had stopped delivering. She became increasingly worried, she said. Noting that they don’t live in the same city, she said that they depended on phone calls and messages to stay connected.
“We always had contact,” she said. “We didn’t go hours without talking or at least sending a text to let the other know we’re OK. So my mind is racing. I couldn’t sleep all night.”
The next day, Ms. Perrin contacted Mr. Kelly’s mother and friends to see if anyone had heard from him. Mr. Kelly’s mother reported him missing on Jan. 22, the day after the canceled performance at Lounge 31, Commander McGinnis said.
The car he had been driving, which belongs to his mother, was recovered in Warren, Mich., which is north of Detroit, on Jan. 23.
Family members of Mr. Wicker and Mr. Givens reported them missing after news reports about Mr. Kelly’s disappearance in the local media on Jan. 27.
“What was the most concerning, candidly, was the fact that there’s been no activity on their phones since they’ve been reported missing,” James E. White, the Detroit police chief, said at a news conference on Tuesday. “And that’s very, very concerning. That’s an unusual circumstance.”
Missing persons and homicide units were both investigating the case, Chief White said. The authorities urged anyone with information about the missing men or their whereabouts to contact the police departments.
“Think about the victims’ families in this case. They have no answers. They don’t know where their loved one is,” Commander McGinnis said Monday, adding, “The police need help.”
Mr. Kelly’s fiancée and mother have taken some investigating into their own hands, feeling desperate with the lack of information that has been released, Ms. Perrin said.
“Our determination and love for him is what’s been driving us this whole time,” she said. “And not knowing whether the man I’m supposed to marry is dead or alive — I can’t stop until I see his face again, and I won’t.”
Ms. Perrin said that her fiancé had been making strides since his release from prison in 2022, after serving eight years for armed robbery. He was taking classes at trade school while also looking to pursue connections in the music industry, Ms. Perrin said. The couple had goals of buying a home together soon and were starting to plan their wedding.
Mr. Kelly met Mr. Wicker and Mr. Givens while they were all in prison, Ms. Perrin said. While the police said that all three were to be at Lounge 31 on Jan. 21 for a rap event, it is unclear if Mr. Wicker and Mr. Givens were also supposed to perform.
“With how many days it’s been, it’s hard to believe he’s still out there alive,’’ Ms. Perrin said. “But I can’t sit here and tell everybody, ‘Oh, I think he’s dead’ because I don’t know, and the world is a crazy place. Until I see a body, I’m not going to believe it.”
The post Aspiring Rapper and 2 Friends Disappeared After Canceled Detroit Show appeared first on New York Times.
