'Alarming' disappearance of Michigan rappers has police seeking help

Andrea May Sahouri, Detroit Free Press
·2 min read
35

UPDATE:Bodies identified, mystery persists in death of Michigan rappers, friend

Three Michigan men who were scheduled to perform at a Detroit club Jan. 21 haven't been heard from since the show was canceled that day.

The now 10-day search has become a multi-agency investigation involving police departments in Detroit, Oscoda, Melvindale and Warren.

"The fact that the three of them are missing together is very concerning and very alarming for us," said Detroit Police Cmdr. Michael McGinnis.

Armani Kelly, 28, of Oscoda, has been missing since Jan. 21, 2023, according to Detroit police.
Armani Kelly, 28, of Oscoda, has been missing since Jan. 21, 2023, according to Detroit police.

Authorities say Armani Kelly, 28, of Oscoda, whose stage name as a rapper is Marley Whoop, was first reported missing to Oscoda police on Jan. 22 after his mother hadn't heard from him. She traced her car, which Kelly was using, with OnStar. The vehicle was found in Warren, McGinnis said.

Once news spread that Kelly was missing, the families of two other men Kelly was with the evening he went missing — Montoya Givens, 31, of Detroit, and Dante Wicker, 31, of Melvindale — realized they, too, hadn't heard from them and filed missing persons reports, McGinnis said.

Montoya Givens, 31, of Detroit, has been missing since Jan. 21, according to Detroit police.
Montoya Givens, 31, of Detroit, has been missing since Jan. 21, according to Detroit police.
Dante Wicker, 31, of Melvindale, has been missing since Jan. 21, according to Detroit police.
Dante Wicker, 31, of Melvindale, has been missing since Jan. 21, according to Detroit police.

Detroit Police Chief James White said homicide and missing persons investigators are involved in the case.

"We're looking at everything," he said.

White said investigators believe Kelly, Givens and Wicker were together at Lounge 31 on Detroit's east side, where they planned to perform at some point that evening. What's unclear, he said, is what happened to them after they left.

The three men's cellphone activity had stopped by the early hours of Jan. 22, including any activity on their social media accounts, according to White.

"We just have a whole lot of unanswered questions," and some family members are beginning to lose hope, said McGinnis.

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McGinnis urged the community to come forward with any information regarding the whereabouts of Kelly, Givens and Wicker.

“We need help," McGinnis said. "We want to find them, and get them home to their loved ones."

Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. She can be contacted at 313-264-0442, asahouri@freepress.com or on Twitter @andreamsahouri.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 3 Michigan rappers missing 10 days after concert is canceled