Officers were nearby on a missing-person call when a man ran up and reported an assault inside the home.
DETROIT, MI — Detroit police investigating a reported assault were led Wednesday to a house where three men were found dead in the basement, their bodies wrapped in towels and carpeting, authorities said.
The discovery triggered a homicide investigation in southwest Detroit and left detectives sorting out who the victims were, how long they had been in the home and whether the deaths were connected to a missing-person report officers were handling in the same area. Police said Thursday that no suspect had been publicly identified and a motive had not been released.
Officers were in the area just before 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, speaking with residents about a missing-person case near Fort Street, when a man ran up to them and said he had just been assaulted inside a home on Edsel Street, Detroit Police Cmdr. Rebecca McKay said during a televised briefing. The man also told officers there were dead people inside the house, McKay said. Police entered the home and found three adult men in the basement, she said, adding that the victims appeared to have been “brutally assaulted.”
Investigators described a chaotic scene. Police said there was blood throughout the home and that the bodies were wrapped in towels and carpeting. The men were pronounced dead at the scene, McKay said. Their names were not immediately released Thursday as investigators worked to notify relatives and confirm identifications. McKay said the victims appeared to be 50 or older, but she did not provide exact ages. Authorities did not say whether the victims lived at the house, were visiting or were being held there.
The house is in the 3100 block of Edsel Street, near Francis Avenue and close to Fort Street and Outer Drive, an area of Detroit near the city’s southern edge. Yellow police tape blocked off the street for hours as investigators moved in and out of the home and marked evidence locations. Police vehicles lined the block while detectives and crime-scene technicians worked inside, and residents gathered at the ends of the street to watch quietly from a distance.
McKay said the investigation was at an early stage and that detectives were still working to understand what happened inside the house and when. “We are currently working through all of the evidence, and this case is very preliminary at this point,” she said. Police did not say what injuries were visible on the victims or whether any weapons were recovered. Authorities also did not say whether the man who reported being assaulted was injured or whether he was being treated as a witness, a victim or a suspect.
Investigators were also trying to determine whether the three deaths were connected to the missing-person report that brought officers to the neighborhood. Police said officers were canvassing nearby when the man approached them, but they did not confirm Thursday whether the missing person was one of the men found in the basement. Police have not said when the men were last seen alive or whether there had been earlier calls for help linked to the home.
In the hours after the discovery, detectives began interviewing people in the area and seeking information about who had access to the property, law enforcement officials said. Investigators typically work to secure search warrants, collect fingerprints and DNA, review possible surveillance video from nearby buildings and traffic cameras, and track phones and vehicles that may be tied to the location. Police did not publicly outline which of those steps had already been taken, but McKay said the department was “working through” evidence and leads.
Neighbors described a steady police presence as officers sealed off the block and restricted access to the home. Some residents said they were surprised by the scale of the response, while others said they were not shocked to see detectives working a violent-crime scene in the area. Police did not describe the house as abandoned, and officials did not say whether anyone else was found inside when officers entered.
Detroit has long struggled with violent crime, and investigators often face challenges in fast-moving homicide cases, including unreliable timelines, fear of retaliation and limited information about victims’ last known movements. In this case, the scene described by police suggested the victims had been moved or concealed, raising questions about whether the killings happened at the home or elsewhere and when the bodies were placed in the basement. Police have not answered those questions and said Thursday they were still working to establish basic facts.
Authorities said medical examiners will conduct autopsies to determine causes and manners of death and to help investigators estimate when the men died. Those findings can guide detectives as they build a timeline, identify possible weapons and compare injuries to any statements from witnesses. Police did not say when autopsy results might be available. They also did not say whether prosecutors had been briefed or whether any arrests were imminent.
As the investigation continued, police asked anyone with information to come forward, including people who may have seen activity around the home or who know who was staying there. Officials said tips can be directed to Crime Stoppers. McKay said detectives were also reviewing information gathered from the missing-person inquiry that was underway when the man approached officers, though she did not describe what that information included.
By Thursday, the home remained at the center of a sprawling investigation, with detectives working to identify the victims, confirm next of kin and track down the sequence of events that led to the discovery. Police said they would release more details as they are confirmed and as doing so would not compromise the case. The department did not announce a scheduled time for the next update.
Author note: Last updated February 19, 2026.