Detroit police said they’re investigating the disappearance of three rappers who’ve been missing for 10 days. Per CNN, police identified Armani Kelly, 28, Dante Wicker, 31, and Montoya Givens, 31 as the missing individuals. Police said the three men went missing after a scheduled performance was canceled. Michael McGinnis, commander of major crimes of the Detroit Police, said promoters canceled the Jan 21st show. However, friends and family grew concerned after not hearing from them since.
“It’s our understanding that the performance got canceled, and from there – we just have a whole lot of unanswered questions that we are trying to find out,” McGinnis said. He confirmed that they “stopped having activity” the following morning on Jan. 22nd. McGinnis explained that the investigation began with Kelly’s mom who became extremely active in the case. She reportedly filed a missing person report the next day before tracking down her vehicle through OnStar. McGinnis said she found the car in Warren, MI, and police later recovered the car on Jan. 23rd by police.
By Jan. 27th, the case gained significant attention on social media. Once Kelly’s mom began to spread the word of her son’s disappearance, friends of Wicker and Givens also filed missing person reports. The case turned into a multi-agency investigation including departments from Detroit, Oscoda, Melvindale, and Warren. McGinnis also stated that the investigators from homicide and missing person departments are also helping try and find the three individuals.
Armani Kelly, who goes by the name Marley Whoop, reportedly called his fiancée, Taylor Perrin, around 5 p.m. to inform her the club canceled the show. Perrin explained that by 9 p.m., text messages stopped delivering to his phone, per the NYT. She said it became increasingly worrisome, especially since they didn’t live in the same city and relied on their phones to communicate.
Fans knew Kelly as Marley Whoop, while Givens rapped under the name Jugg. We’ll keep you posted on any further updates on the case.