Delaware State Police are investigating the death of a man reported missing in September.
Delaware State Police said they have arrested a 17-year-old individual named Shakur Bowen in connection with the murder of a man from Hurlock, Maryland.
The victim, identified as 41-year-old David Thomas Jr., was reported missing to police by his family members on September 22, 2023.
Delaware State Police Troop 3 issued a Gold Alert for Thomas, who was last seen in the Dover area on September 15, 2023 police said at the time. The alert said that he may have been driving a black BMW 328 with Delaware registration 352615 and heading to the Woodside area.
Police said Thomas had visited his family in Kent County, where he borrowed the BMW from a family member but failed to return it.
As concerns grew about his whereabouts, detectives from the Delaware State Police initiated efforts to locate and contact him. Their attempts, however, were unsuccessful, leading to the issuance of the alert.
The case took a turn on September 29, 2023, when detectives discovered human remains in a tax ditch located in Meadowbrook Acres. The Division of Forensic Science later confirmed that the suspected human remains indeed belonged to Thomas. Notably, the police had not publicly announced the discovery of human remains until now.
Through investigative work, law enforcement authorities identified Shakur Bowen as a suspect in the case police said Tuesday. Bowen is alleged to be responsible for the shooting death of David Thomas Jr. Police did not say how they connected Bowen to Thomas’ death.
On October 2, 2023, at approximately 2 p.m., law enforcement officers took Bowen into custody. He was subsequently transported to Troop 3 and charged with several serious crimes, including murder, firearms offenses, hindering prosecution, abusing a corpse, and conspiracy.
Following his arrest, Shakur Bowen appeared for an arraignment before Justice of the Peace Court 7 and was committed to the Department of Corrections with a cash bond set at $500,000.