Police say the victims were beaten and some were stabbed in a southwest-side house.
DETROIT, Mich. — Detroit police said a person of interest is in custody after officers found three older men dead in the basement of a southwest Detroit home, a case that began as a missing-person investigation and quickly turned into a triple homicide.
Police identified the victims as Mark Barnett, 65; Norman Hamlin, 66; and William Barrett, 72. Investigators have not announced a motive, and they have not said how the person in custody is tied to the victims. Police leaders described a violent scene and said the deaths likely happened late Tuesday into early Wednesday.
Officers were in the area Wednesday checking on a missing-person report when a man ran up to them and said he had been assaulted inside a nearby house, police said. The man told officers there were bodies inside. First Assistant Chief Charles Fitzgerald said the man had been attacked with a hammer the day before and suffered a head injury. When officers entered the home, Fitzgerald said, blood was visible right away and the basement scene was “just awful.”
Investigators believe all three men suffered fatal blunt-force injuries, Fitzgerald said, adding that two of the victims also had stab wounds. The bodies were found in the basement covered with old, dirty clothing, and one of the men was covered by a carpet, he said. Police said the missing-person report that brought officers to the area involved one of the men later found dead inside the home. Detectives have not said when the men were last seen alive or whether they were killed at the same time.
The house is on Edison Street near Francis Avenue, police said, in a neighborhood on the city’s southwest side. Police also said officers were working the missing-person case on nearby Edsel Street when the man who reported the assault approached them. By Thursday, investigators were still processing the home and collecting evidence. Police have not released details about possible weapons, surveillance video, or forensic results, and autopsies had not been discussed publicly.
Police earlier asked the public to watch for a light-skinned Black man in his early 30s with dreadlocks, about 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-7. By Thursday afternoon, Fitzgerald said a person of interest was in custody, but police did not publicly identify that person or say whether any charges had been filed. Fitzgerald said investigators were still sorting out what happened inside the home and determining how the victims and the person in custody may be connected.
Neighbors said the home had a steady flow of people coming and going. Fitzgerald said the homeowner was known for allowing people to stay at the house. “The gentleman who lived at that location opened up his house to a lot of folks,” Fitzgerald said, describing a place where visitors came and went. He said there had been speculation about drugs but that investigators had not confirmed drug activity or found evidence that would allow him to make that claim in public.
Outside the taped-off property, residents watched detectives move in and out and tried to make sense of the news. One nearby resident told reporters the neighborhood was “shocked” by what police found. Another neighbor, Thomas Barnes, said one of the men was a veteran who had struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder. Barnes, a block club leader, noted the area had recently taken on a new name: Harmony Village. “Ironic,” he said.
Police said the investigation remains active and that detectives are working to confirm a timeline, track down anyone who may have been in the house in the days before the killings, and identify witnesses. Authorities have not announced a court date, but police said they expect to provide more information once interviews and forensic work are further along. Fitzgerald said investigators will continue to follow leads tied to the assault report and the missing-person case that first brought officers to the area.
By Friday, police had not announced a motive or released details about charges connected to the person in custody, and detectives said they were still working through evidence from the home. Authorities said the next public update would come after investigators complete more interviews and receive additional forensic results.
Author note: Last updated Feb. 20, 2026.